The US is already returning to its pre-pandemic state thanks to increased vaccination efforts. With the country having recently celebrated its Independence Day over the weekend, US President Joe Biden gave an optimistic assessment of the country’s current handling of the pandemic while noting that COVID-19 is not completely over yet.
Biden addressed a crowd of 1,000 guests at the South Lawn of the White House, making a comparison between the declaration of independence from the British Empire back in 1776 to today’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, that still has millions of Americans infected and over 600,000 dead. Biden also paid tribute to the death toll from the pandemic.
Two hundred and forty-five years ago, we declared our independence from a distant king. Today, we are closer than ever to declaring our independence from a deadly virus,” said Biden in his remarks.
“We’ve gained the upper hand against this virus,” added Biden. “But don’t get me wrong: COVID-19 has not been vanquished. We all know powerful variants have emerged, like the Delta variant.”
A fireworks display was also made in the skies to celebrate the holiday and were also a signal that the US is taking a moment to celebrate as the country emerges from the pandemic. This was a stark contrast to celebrations the previous year, where civil unrests and division, paired with the growing number of COVID-19 cases, led to more scaled-down festivities.
Even with the celebrations, the Biden administration has said it still remains concerned for a percentage of Americans who have not been vaccinated for COVID-19 yet. This comes as the administration did not reach its goal of having 70 percent of adults vaccinated by this time by a narrow margin. Only 46 percent of American adults have been fully vaccinated.
In other news, Biden also weighed in on the suspension of sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson who tested positive for marijuana use. Richardson rose to fame when she won the Women’s 100 during the track and field trials. Richardson said she took marijuana in Oregon – where it is legal – when she learned of the death of her biological mother.
To note, even if marijuana is not a performance-enhancing drug, the World Anti-Doping Agency rules stipulate a one-month suspension should an athlete test positive.
“Rules are the rules. Everybody knows what the rules are going in,” Biden told reporters during his visit in Michigan. “Whether they should remain that way, whether that should remain the rule, is a different issue. Rules are rules. And I was really proud of the way she responded.”