Biden promises vaccines available to all Americans by end of July, ‘significantly’ less social distancing & masks a year from now

President Biden has predicted a “very different circumstance” for the US’ Covid-19 outbreak by Christmas, saying some 600 million vaccine doses will be ready by July while noting that he’s been advised against ‘over-promising.’

Biden waxed optimistic about the ongoing viral outbreak during a CNN town hall event on Tuesday, declaring that “by next Christmas, I think we’ll be in a very different circumstance, God willing, than we are today.” He said the improvement would be further helped along if an inoculation developed by Johnson & Johnson receives FDA approval, as it is expected to sometime this month.

“A year from now, I think that there’ll be significantly fewer people having to be socially distanced, have to wear masks, etc.,” the president went on, adding, however, “But we don’t know. So I don’t want to over-promise anything here. I told you when I ran and when I got elected, I will always level with you.”

All the experts ... they tell me [to] be careful not to predict things that you don’t know for certain it’s going to happen.

Despite the note of caution, Biden went on to say that some 600 million vaccine doses would be available for distribution by late July – “enough to vaccinate every American.”

The president’s comments came just hours after one of his top Covid-19 advisers, infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci, predicted that most Americans would have access to immunizations weeks to months ahead of Biden’s timeline, suggesting the US would reach that point around late May or early June – itself an extension from Fauci’s previous forecast of late March or early April. 

Rounding out the town hall, hosted in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Biden urged Americans to continue social distancing and wearing masks. Face coverings made up one plank of Biden’s plan to tackle the pandemic during his first 100 days in office, passing an executive order last month requiring masks on federal property and some forms of public transportation.

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