'America coming back together': Joe Biden on Covid-19 situation in US

The US has "gained the upper hand against this virus," he announced while adding a caution of warning about the dangerous mutations of Covid-19.

US President Joe Biden on Sunday (July 4) hosted a large gathering of healthcare workers and first responders at the White House to mark the celebrations of the country's 245th independence day. Addressing the large, cheering crowd, Biden also called on Americans to do their parts to end the Covid-19 pandemic.

US President Joe Biden delivers remarks at the White House at a celebration of Independence Day in Washington.(REUTERS)

The US has "gained the upper hand against this virus," he announced while adding a caution of warning about the dangerous mutations of Covid-19. "Don't get me wrong. Covid-19 has not been vanquished. We all know powerful variants have emerged, like the Delta variant," he added.

"Today, all across this nation, we can say with confidence: America is coming back together," Biden also said.

He further called on Americans to vaccinate in large numbers and said it is "the most patriotic thing" one can do for their nation.

He also drew a comparison between the declaration of independence from the British Empire in 1776 and today's rapid recovery from the viral infection. "Two hundred and forty-five years ago, we declared our independence from a distant king. Today, we are closer than ever to declare our independence from a deadly virus," he told the crowd.

He further said that this year's celebration is "special" as the country is "emerging from the darkness of a year of pandemic, isolation and a year of pain, fear and heartbreaking loss."

While maintaining an upbeat tone mostly about how the country has overcome the spiralling crisis of Covid-19 under his leadership in the address, Biden also paid tribute to those who have lost their lives to the disease. "Over the last year, we have lived through some of our darkest days," Biden said, adding, "We are about to see our brightest future."

The US was one of the top countries in the list of nations with the highest number of cases and deaths. Since the beginning of the pandemic in December 2019, the virus claimed 605,000 lives, while more than 33.7 million people have been infected.

For Biden, the White House celebration of the fourth of July was a long-awaited opportunity to highlight the success of the vaccination campaign he championed. The event was the largest yet of his presidency, in a clear indication that the US has moved into a new phase of virus response. Shifting from a national emergency to a localised crisis of individual responsibility, the nation also moved from vaccinating Americans to promoting global health.

(With agency inputs)