WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is outlining his plan to make all adult Americans eligible for vaccination by May 1 and get the nation back “closer to normal” by the Fourth of July.
Biden is addressing the nation Thursday evening, one year into the coronavirus pandemic.
He said of the virus, which has killed more than 530,000 Americans and disrupted the lives of countless more: It was different for everyone, but “we all lost something.”
He said he is deploying 4,000 more active-duty troops to support vaccination efforts and will allow more people — such as medical students, veterinarians and dentists — to deliver shots.
Biden is condemning the violence Asian Americans have endured since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, saying “it is wrong, it is un-American and it must stop.”
Biden is lamenting an uptick of reports of “vicious” attacks and harassment against Asian Americans that’s been reported since the start of the pandemic one year ago.
Former President Donald Trump has repeatedly used xenophobic terms to refer to the virus that originated in China’s Wuhan province. Some critics say the former president’s language has stoked the violence against Asian Americans.
