Biden’s new goal: 70% of U.S. adults to get one vaccine dose by July 4

President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced a goal to have 70% of U.S. adults vaccinated with at least one COVID-19 shot by the July 4 Independence Day holiday, and urged young people in their 20s and 30s in particular to get inoculated.

The president, who has made fighting the coronavirus a key priority of his administration, had previously announced July 4 as a target date for when Americans can gather in small groups to signal a return to greater normalcy in the middle of the pandemic.

Biden’s new goal comes as the administration faces increasing, though not unexpected, challenges of getting shots into the arms of people who are hesitant about the vaccine.

The new target takes that reality into account.

“Now that we have the vaccine supply, we’re focused on convincing even more Americans to show up and get the vaccine that is available to them,” Biden told reporters at the White House while announcing his target. “If we succeed in this effort … then Americans will have taken a serious step towards a return to normal.”

Biden’s new goal includes having 160 million adults fully vaccinated by the Fourth of July.