WASHINGTON â After a grim winter that saw the U.S. death toll from COVID-19 rise past half a million, President Joe Biden sought to foster â and benefit from â a national surge of optimism about the pandemic, the economy and the countryâs condition in a White House speech Thursday evening. By May 1, restrictions on who can make a COVID-19 vaccine appointment will be lifted nationwide, Biden said. The current limitations no longer will be needed because vaccine supply will be adequate to meet demand. All American adults should be able to get at least a first shot by the end of May, officials said.