Joe Biden's promise

President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that more than 220 million COVID-19 vaccinations have been administered in the US since the start of his presidential term, using the country's three approved coronavirus vaccines.

"After I promised that 100 million vaccine shots would be given in the first 100 days of my presidency, we will give over 220 million shots in a hundred days", read the text of Biden's speech, marked "for immediate distribution", released by the White House as he began addressing members of both houses of the US Congress. Biden's 100th day as US chief of staff falls on 29 April.

In his speech, the president noted that all Americans aged 16 years and over are now eligible to be vaccinated. "So get vaccinated now", the White House chief urged. "When I was sworn in, only 1% of older US residents were fully vaccinated. 100 days later almost 70% of seniors are fully protected against the coronavirus. More than half of US adults have had at least one shot of the vaccine", he added.

The President said progress had been made against the pandemic in the past 100 days, but "much remains to be done to defeat the virus".

Joe Biden said: "As our own stockpile of vaccines grows, to a level capable of meeting our needs, we will become an arsenal of vaccines for other countries, just as America was an arsenal of democracy in World War II".