Joe Biden delivers his first televised address to the nation.Photo: MANDEL NGAN/Getty Images
PresidentJoe Bidendelivered a primetime address Thursday night, marking the one-year anniversary of theCOVID-19pandemic in the United States.
“While it was different for everyone, we all lost something,” Biden, 78, said of the deadly pandemic. Pulling a card out of his jacket pocket, the president solemnly shared that 527,726 people in the U.S. have died related to COVID-19 since the pandemic began — a number the exceeds the loss of life in World War I, World War II, the Vietnam War and 9/11 combined.
Television networks across the country broadcast the speech, which marked the grim anniversary and provided some hope for the country’s recovery in the coming months.
He also promised that new resources for finding and making vaccine appointments will be available soon.
Joe Biden.MANDEL NGAN/Getty Images
“No more searching day and night for an appointment for you and your loved ones,” he said, adding that more guidance on what activities those who are vaccinated are and are not allowed to participate in will be coming out soon.
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“Beating this virus and getting back to normal depends on national unity,” he continued, adding that while “we’ve made so much progress, this is not the time to let up.”
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A year ago this week, state governments first began to implement shutdowns and issue stay-at-home orders in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The global pandemic went on to have a grave impact in the U.S., which failed to contain the virus under PresidentDonald Trump.
As of Thursday, aNew York Timestrackershows at least 528,829 people have died from COVID-19, while more than 29.2 million people have contracted the deadly respiratory illness.
Americans voted to replace Trump last November with Biden, who ran on the promise of containing the COVID-19 pandemic and returning the country “to normal.”
“This historic legislation is about rebuilding the backbone of this country,” Biden told reporters before signing the bill, which he said will give “the people of this nation, working people, the middle-class folks, people who built the country a fighting chance.”
The Biden administration has rolled out tens of millions of COVID-19 vaccines in its first month and a half in office.
According to thePost, more than 32 million people across the country have been fully vaccinated as of Thursday. About 128 million vaccines have been distributed, while the administration says it will purchase100 million additional dosesof the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine, expecting they will be ready to distribute in the second half of 2021.
As information about thecoronavirus pandemicrapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from theCDC,WHOandlocal public health departments.PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMeto raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, clickhere.
source: people.com
