Biden Urges States to Pause Reopenings as CDC Warns of ‘Impending Doom’

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention testifies during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on the federal coronavirus response on Capitol Hill in Washington, on March 18, 2021. Susan Walsh-Pool/Getty Images

WASHINGTON—President Joe Biden urged states to pause reopening efforts and a top health official warned of “impending doom” on Monday, amid a surge in COVID-19 cases.

Biden said 90 percent of adults would be eligible for vaccination by April 19, and 90 percent of Americans would have a vaccination center within five miles of their homes by then, as his team ramps up its drive to get vaccine shots in people’s arms.