NEW DELHI: US President Joe Biden has said he is hopeful that America can "mark independence" from Covid-19 on 4 July if people get vaccinated.
Biden said he would order states to make all adults eligible for vaccinations by 1 May.

Biden will outline an accelerated schedule for vaccinations, including directing states and local governments to end their restr
ictions on who can be inoculated, the White House said. 
The timeline does not mean that all adults will be vaccinated by May 1, but it would mean that anyone can sign up for an appointment. Currently states vary on who can get the vaccine and when.

The president also plans to announce that the administration will ramp up efforts for more people to get vaccinated. That includes making the vaccine available at more than 20,000 pharmacies across the country.

Biden was speaking exactly a year to the day after the outbreak was classified a global pandemic.

Half a million Americans have since died - more than the death toll from World War One, World War Two, and the Vietnam War combined.
Schools have been closed, businesses shuttered and people kept apart.

In his speech, President Biden said he did not expect large events to be able to go ahead, but he hoped small groups could meet again.

"If we do this together, by 4 July, there is a good chance you, your family and friends can get together in your backyard or in your neighbourhood and have a cookout or a barbecue and celebrate Independence Day," he said.

"After a long, hard year, that will make this Independence Day truly special - where we not only mark our independence as a nation but we begin to mark our independence from this virus."

Biden also announces the deployment of more than 4,000 active-duty troops to support the vaccination efforts, for a total of 6,000. 
The White House said he also will expand the pool of those qualified to administer the shots, widening the scope to include professionals such as dentists, optometrists, podiatrists and even veterinarians.