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| File photo of Huntington Beach, California, on Apr 22, 2020. (Photo by= Reuters/Lucy Nicholson) |
[Asia News Communication = Reporter Reakkana] US President Joe Biden will announce on Tuesday (Apr 13) that all adults across America can get COVID-19 vaccine shots within two weeks, sooner than expected, while the IMF boosted its forecast for world economic growth this year amid signs of a rebound from the pandemic.
AFP said that the White House said Biden is shifting the deadline for full eligibility up from May 1 to Apr 19 after rapid progress in all 50 states in the vaccine rollouts. A senior administration official, who didn’t want to be named, said the announcement would be made by the president later on Tuesday. If the target is met, this would mean an end to restrictions by age, health issues or other categories for people wanting to get coronavirus vaccines.
It would not necessarily mean that anyone could get a shot immediately, as distribution remains a work in progress. Biden was scheduled to visit a vaccination site in Virginia, just outside of Washington, on Tuesday, before delivering remarks on the topic at the White House. While the White House prepared for the announcement, the International Monetary Fund said accelerated vaccines and a flood of government stimulus spending, especially in the US, means it now sees global economic growth this year of 6.0 percent, up from a forecast of 5.5 percent in January.
