President Biden has announced that all American adults will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine by April 19 due to rising cases and new variants spreading. This date is two weeks earlier than May 1, the original date by which Biden planned to make adults eligible.

This declaration comes as welcome news to many Americans, who are eager to see themselves and their loved ones vaccinated and protected against the disease that has held the nation hostage for so long.

Elizabeth Oliveira, health outreach officer and second-year student at Sonoma State, said, “It’s amazing that Biden is taking control and ensuring that everyone in the United States is safer from the virus than before and receiving adequate healthcare. I was fortunate enough to get vaccinated early on because I work in healthcare, so I’m thrilled that my family and friends are also going to get that same chance.”

However, Biden has warned that even though vaccinations are going to increase, there should be no premature celebrations. Variants of COVID-19 are still spreading, such as those originating in Britain, Brazil, and South Africa, with the British variant dominating, according to data from the Washington Post.

“New variants of the virus are spreading and they’re moving quickly,” Biden said last week in a White House press conference, “Cases are going back up, hospitalizations are no longer declining. While deaths are still down—way down from January—they are going up in some places.”

Over 21 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been provided to Californians, and approximately 37% of Californians have received at least one dose. In Sonoma County, where shortages still jeopardize vaccination efforts, 221,266 people have received one or both doses of the vaccine. As it remains, less than 45% of Sonoma County residents have been able to get at least partially vaccinated.

 At this time, officials recommend that we stay cautious, and seize the opportunity for vaccination whenever it presents itself. As close as the light at the end of the tunnel may seem, it is imperative that we continue to encourage those around us to mind safety regulations.

“It’s crucial for people to understand how important masks still are. We have not reached herd immunity yet and many are not vaccinated. We must continue wearing masks to protect those around us, regardless of being vaccinated,” Oliveira said.

In a press briefing last Wednesday, Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said that since all adults will become eligible for the vaccine in less than two weeks from now, we can expect a much safer environment in the near future. 

“What we will almost certainly see as we get more and more proportion of the population vaccinated, that those case count numbers will come down. But we would not recommend doing anything different until we get well below the level where we are right now,” Fauci said.

For now, the best course of action is to get vaccinated and abide by basic COVID-19 safety regulations in order to accelerate the country’s return to normalcy.