U.S. President Joe Biden has condemned "vicious hate crimes" committed against Asian Americans since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

These acts are "un-American" and "they must stop."

"Too often, we've turned against one another," Biden said in his first prime-time address, detailing the progress made in the fight against COVID-19.

The president criticized "vicious hate crimes against Asian Americans who have been attacked, harassed, blamed and scapegoated" over the pandemic.

"At this very moment, so many of them, our fellow Americans - they're on the front lines of this pandemic trying to save lives and still, still they're forced to live in fear for their lives just walking down streets in America," Biden said.

Biden also told state officials late Thursday to ensure all adults are made eligible to receive a vaccine by May.

Biden mentioned the "collective suffering" of Americans over the past year in his 24-minute address and then offered them a vision for a return to a modicum of normalcy this summer.

"We are bound together by the loss and the pain of the days that have gone by," he said. "We are also bound together by the hope and the possibilities in the days in front of us."

He predicted Americans could safely gather at least in small groups for July Fourth to "make this Independence Day truly special."

An administration official earlier said "the fight is far from over. We still have a lot of work to do. But together, unified, we can defeat this pandemic, and we can all celebrate a more normal Fourth of July gathered in small groups to celebrate the holiday," the official said.

"While it was different for everyone, we all lost something," Biden said of the sacrifices of the yearlong-and-counting pandemic.

Biden earlier signed into law a $1.9 trillion relief package that he said will help defeat the virus, nurse the economy back to health and deliver direct aid to Americans struggling to make ends meet.

Some cash distributions could begin arriving in the bank accounts of Americans this weekend.

"This historic legislation is about rebuilding the backbone of this country," Biden said as he signed the bill in the Oval Office.

During his speech, Biden announced the deployment of more than 4,000 active-duty troops to support the country's national vaccination campaign. He said there would be a change in federal rules to allow a wider range of professionals to be able to administer vaccine shots.

The administration said Americans must still avoid large public gatherings and to continue to wear masks.