US President Joe Biden on Monday announced a raft of new actions to ramp up the national immunization campaign and ensure that 90% of adults will be eligible for vaccination against COVID-19 by April 19.

The move came as the nation’s top public health official pleaded with people to “hold on a little longer” with measures to stop the coronavirus, admitting she felt a sense of “impending doom” as data showed the country tipping into another wave.

“For the vast, vast majority of adults, you won’t have to wait until May 1. You’ll be eligible for your shot on April 19,” Biden said.

The overall goal is for 90% of adults to have a vaccination site within five miles of where they live.

The US has now administered 143 million shots and fully vaccinated 16% of the population, including almost 50% of over 65s.

But fears are growing that’s still not fast enough to avert a fourth surge unless accompanied by a return to tougher curbs.

Speaking to reporters Monday, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director Rochelle Walensky told reporters she wanted to speak off the cuff to convey the gravity of the situation.

“I’m going to reflect on the recurring feeling I have of impending doom,” she said.

“We have so much to look forward to, so much promise and potential of where we are, and so much reason for hope. But right now, I’m scared.”

The rate of infection in the United States had been plateauing for several weeks, but is now once more on the rise, with the most recent data showing the seven-day average at close to 60,000 new cases.

That represents an increase of 10% over the prior seven-day period, while hospitalizations are up to 4,800 per day from 4,600 comparing the same timeframes.

Deaths have risen 3% to around 1,000 per day.