WASHINGTON—President Biden said Tuesday that all U.S. adults should be eligible for Covid-19 vaccines by April 19, speeding up a timeline he set out last month, and he urged Americans to be patient and take precautions as the rollout continued and new variants spread.
Hawaii said Tuesday that it will meet President Biden’s April 19 target, according to a spokesman from the state’s health department. He added that residents still must be patient because of limited supply of vaccine. Oregon said Tuesday that everyone over age 16 would be eligible to sign up for a vaccine on April 19. Ahead of the announcement, the Biden administration asked states if they could meet the new target for expanding eligibility, a person familiar with the conversations said.
“There is a lot of good news. But there’s also some bad news,” Mr. Biden said. “The virus is spreading because we have too many people who’ve seen the end in sight, think we’re at the finish line already. Let me be deadly earnest with you…We’re still in a life and death race against this virus.”
Mr. Biden had previously called for states and territories to make all adults eligible for the shots by May 1. He put an emphasis Tuesday on calling for seniors, who are most vulnerable to severe disease, to get vaccinated.
