Biden is slated to postpone the deadline for states to open shots to all adults in the US by April 19

Joe Cobarrubio, 34, will receive a vaccination against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on April 5, 2021 in Artesia, California, United States.

Lucy Nicholson | Reuters

President Joe Biden is expected to announce Tuesday that states will open Covid-19 vaccine appointments for all adults in the United States by April 19, extending its original deadline by nearly two weeks, a White House official confirmed to NBC News .

Biden is expected to announce the new deadline later Tuesday after visiting a vaccination site in Alexandria, Virginia. While the deadline is voluntary, it puts public pressure on states that have not yet expanded their admission guidelines.

A few weeks ago, Biden urged states, tribes and territories to question all adults in the US for a vaccination by May 1 at the latest. Most states, however, have already announced plans to open the rating to all adults by April 19. Only Hawaii and Oregon are havens, according to NBC News, no open eligibility plans have been announced as of this date.

Biden announced last week that 90% of adults in the US will be eligible for Covid-19 shots by April 19 and can get it within 5 miles of their home as part of an expanded vaccination schedule. Around 40,000 pharmacies will sell the vaccine, up from 17,000, the president said, and the US is setting up a dozen more mass vaccination sites by April 19.

“For the vast majority of adults, you don’t have to wait until May 1. You can be eligible for your shot on April 19,” Biden said on March 29 during a news conference on the government’s and Covid-19 response Vaccination efforts across the country.

According to NBC News, Biden will announce Tuesday that the US has reached 150 million shots in his first 75 days in office.

The president is pushing for 200 million Covid shots to be administered within his first 100 days in office. The pandemic rate of U.S. vaccinations averaged 3.1 million doses per day over the past week, according to Andy Slavitt, the White House’s senior pandemic advisor.

More than 40% of adults had at least one shot, Slavitt said. He added that 75% of seniors have now received at least one shot and more than half are fully vaccinated.

Even as the pace of vaccinations accelerates, contagious variants are rapidly spreading, potentially hindering the nation’s recovery from the pandemic.

Last week, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky states that B.1.1.7, the variant first identified in the UK, is becoming the predominant strain in many regions of the United States, accounting for 26% of the Covid-19 cases circulating around the nation.

Walensky said on Wednesday that she expected further infections in the United States due to the portability of variant B.1.1.7. She urged the public to continue pandemic security measures such as hand washing, wearing masks and social distancing.

“This is a critical moment in our fight against the pandemic,” Walensky said on Wednesday. “We cannot afford to let go of our watch.”