Washington: US President Joe Biden wants to celebrate six months after taking office amid the Coronavirus Pandemic. Avoiding “negative” questions from reporters about the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, Biden said on Friday: “It’s a holiday weekend. I’m going on vacation.”
After the death of more than 6,05,000 people and the great devastation since the coronavirus epidemic started in America, Biden wants the people of the country to celebrate the holidays as well. The White House encouraged attendees and asked them to set off fireworks to celebrate “freedom” from the virus.
It is a happy time for America as the number of infection cases and deaths has come down due to the accelerating vaccination campaign. Businesses and restaurants have also opened and employment opportunities have also been created and people are going out to roam like before the pandemic. However, it cannot be said that the “mission” has been accomplished as the infection is still causing more than 200 deaths every day and is spreading to other parts of the world. At the same time, there are lakhs of people in the country who do not want to get vaccinated.
Mati Hatshwao, the infectious disease specialist at the John Cochrane VA Medical Center and St. Louis Board of Health, said, “If you’ve got the vaccines, the biggest thing you’ve done. You should be cautious if you haven’t taken the vaccine dose.” However, he said that it can be said that the country is in a better position in terms of vaccination. Biden is hosting the biggest event of his tenure on the South Lawn of the White House on Sunday.
“July 4th of this year is different from July 4th of last year…next year we will be in a slightly better position,” Biden said. Top officials of the Biden administration campaigned under the banner of ‘America Back Together’ to improve the situation in the coronavirus.
The president had hoped that 70 percent of the country’s adult population would be vaccinated by Sunday, but according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 67 percent have been vaccinated. At the same time, the federal government has cautioned that the easing of restrictions could spread the infection faster in these places with vaccination rates below 30 percent in about 1,000 counties.
