Republicans are questioning President Biden’s coronavirus vaccine schedule, which he presented Thursday night.
Biden said his goal is for all Americans to be eligible for the vaccine by May 1, allowing them to return to social gatherings by July 4.
BIDEN GUIDES STATES TO MAKE ALL ADULTS ELIGIBLE FOR VACCINES UNTIL MAY 1
“If all the willing people in America are vaccinated against # COVID19 in May, as POTUS said, why put our lives on hold until July 4th?” Senator John Cornyn, R-Texas, wrote on Friday Twitter.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., Echoed his statement.
“If you are waiting for permission from the chief executive to celebrate Independence Day with your family, you clearly do not understand the concept of independence,” Massie wrote on Twitter.
Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro said Biden’s announcement was not all it seemed.
“Once again, President Houseplant is running in front of a moving parade and then says he is leading. This was about to happen,” wrote Shapiro on Thursday. Twitter.
Biden said on Thursday that he is targeting states, tribes and territories to ensure that everyone is eligible for the COVID vaccination by May 1.
The new guideline comes as part of a broader strategy that included increasing the number of vaccination sites and active troops supporting the vaccination campaign. The White House is also launching a new website and a 1-800 number to help find vaccines.
So far, states have limited the vaccine’s eligibility, prioritizing high-risk individuals and frontline workers, although more states have recently expanded the field of who can get it.
CDC QUESTIONS GUIDELINES FOR THE COVID-19 VACCINE POPULATION
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Monday released highly anticipated guidelines on practices considered safe for those who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus in terms of meetings, quarantine and testing.
The CDC said that those who are fully vaccinated can spend more time with unvaccinated people indoors, without a mask, as long as those who have not been vaccinated have a low risk of severe COVID-19.
Shawn Brown, on the right, receives the second dose of the Modern COVID-19 vaccine from a volunteer worker on the left, at a mass vaccination clinic at the University of Seattle, Friday, February 26, 2021, in Seattle. (AP Photo / Ted S. Warren)
Two weeks after the second dose, or the single dose injection for those who received a vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson, fully vaccinated people can safely meet with other fully vaccinated people without wearing face masks or physical distance, said the CDC, calling them internal meetings “probably low risk”.
Opening his comments during prime time on Thursday, Biden apparently fired on the Trump administration.
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“We were hit by a virus that was received with silence and spread unchecked – denials for days, weeks and then months,” he said, echoing comments made during his campaign.
“This led to more deaths, more infections, more stress and more loneliness,” he added.
Sam Dorman and Kayla Rivas of Fox News contributed to this report.