by may 1st, less than two months from now, he s directing all states and territories to make all adults eligible for the vaccine. you ll also want to mark july 4th on your calendar. biden is expected to announce americans should be able to gather in small groups by then. two dates to look forward to as today marks one year since the world health organization officially declared the coronavirus to be a pandemic. it s a sobering milestone with more than half a million american lives lost between that declaration and tonight. even with biden s hopeful announcement, tonight is one of those occasions when it is important to step back and remember how we got here. starting one year ago today, march 11th, o 2020, when the world stood still. just moments ago on capitol hill government health officials testified on the government s response to coronavirus and this statement from one of the nation s top medical experts was not reassuring. we will see more cases and things will get
when every adult is eligible in may, we will launch with our partners new tools to make it easier for to you find the vaccine and where to get the shot. including a new website that will help you first find the place to get vaccinated and the one nearest you. no more searching day and night to get an appointment. as we mentioned, tonight s speech on the second floor of the white house comes one year to the day since the world health organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. here at home you may recall the nba suspended its season until further notice. tom hanks announced that he and his wife, rita wilson, had tested positive. also exactly one year ago the former president spoke to the nation from the oval office. the vast majority of americans, the risk is very, very low. in the grueling 12 months since, we became the world leader in confirmed cases, now nearing 30 million. we also lead the world in deaths. well over half a million souls have been lost