Leila Kabalan says she often thinks about what she would do immediately after being vaccinated against COVID-19.

As a healthy 30-year-old, Kabalan thought that day would not come until the end of the summer at the earliest.


What You Need To Know

  • President Biden announced all adults in the United States will be eligible to receive the COVID vaccine beginning May 1

  • Mayor de Blasio says the city is ready to accommodate the millions more eligible

  • Governor Cuomo says New York state has to "tremendously" increase capacity to vaccinate the millions of New Yorkers

But then President Biden spoke to the nation Thursday night.

"All adult Americans will be eligible to get a vaccine no later than May 1,” he said.

Kabalan, an urban development consultant, says she knows it is unlikely that she would be able to get vaccinated right away, but she now believes that day is coming sooner rather than later.

"It's like, cautious excitement where we are moving towards something good," she said.

Mayor Bill de Blasio says the city will be ready to handle the increased demand for vaccinations once eligibility expands on May 1. He says the city will have the necessary locations and staff. The only question is the supply.

"We are ready right now to doing over a half a million vaccines a week. I think that number will climb higher when we get the full supply we deserve. Just one think missing, supply supply supply. When we get the supply we will be able to handle it even with every adult eligible."

But on a conference call with reporters, Governor Andrew Cuomo suggested the state has work to do. 

"That means we have to have a tremendous increase in our capacity to vaccinate. and that is a logistical undertaking unlike anything we have done before," he said.

As for Kabalan, she says she understands why so many people are impatient waiting for the vaccine.

"If you boil it down, we really want normal to go back to that. We might differ on how to get there, but I think we are all in the same boat," she said.

The Biden administration says it is working on several efforts to speed up the vaccination process,including launching a new website to help people find appointments and partnering with states to expand mass vaccination sites.