Biden says US should be ‘closer to normal’ by 4 July as he unveils new Covid targets in first nationwide address

Joe Biden is to say life will have returned to a “kind of normal” by the Fourth of July, when he speaks to the nation.

In his first televised address during prime-time – a rite of passage for every president – he will demand that every American adult be eligible to receive one of the three approved vaccines against the disease by May 1.

With almost 30m Americans having been infected and at least 530,000 having lost their lives to the disease, Mr Biden will warn that the battle against the illness is “far from over”.

He will urge people to continue to wear masks and practice social distancing, as the vaccine roll-out gathers pace.

Yet, he will also said the nation will be in a “far better place” by the Independence Day holiday if Americans wear those masks, follow public health guidelines and get vaccinated when it is their turn.