U.S. President Joe Biden said Tuesday that all Americans will have access to COVID-19 vaccines before August.
Biden has previously predicted that vaccines might be available to all by spring, but the White House has recently toned down its optimism, citing difficulties both with the availability of vaccines and the ability to deliver them.
Asked when all Americans would be vaccinated, Biden told a CNN town hall meeting with members of the public: "By the end of July this year."
"By the end of July we'll have 600 million doses, enough to vaccinate every American," he said.
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Biden also said that he wanted a faster return of children to schools and that he backs vaccinations for teachers. Authorities should "move them up in the hierarchy."
Asked at the town hall session when life would get back to normal, Biden said "by next Christmas, we'll be in a very different circumstance."
"A year from now I think that there'll be significantly fewer people that have to be socially distanced, have to wear a mask," Biden said, adding that he couldn't be sure.
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