Biden directs states to make all adult Americans eligible for vaccine by May 1

President Biden on Thursday evening directed states to make all adult Americans eligible to receive coronavirus shots by no later than May 1, using his first prime-time, nationwide television address to say he expects life in the United States could return to a kind of normal by the Fourth of July.

Mr. Biden offered a renewed sense of hope as he marked a year that plunged the nation into health and economic crises. With continued vigilance, he said, families and friends could be able to gather to celebrate the nation’s independence.

“We all lost something — a collective suffering a collective sacrifice, a year filled with the loss of life,” Mr. Biden said. “But in the loss, we saw how much there was to gain. An appreciation, respect and gratitude.”

“Finding light in the darkness is a very American thing to do,” he added.