Raising concern over the COVID-19 situation in the country, US President Biden on Monday (local time) urged Americans who have not yet gotten vaccinated against the coronavirus to do so as soon as possible, pointing that the country has lost nearly 600,000 lives lost domestically from the infection.
"We have made enormous progress in the United States. Much of the country is returning to normal and our economic recovery is leading the world and the number of cases and deaths are dropping dramatically but there are still too many lives being lost," Biden said during a press conference at North Atlantic Treaty Organsation (NATO) summit in Brussels.
He also mentioned that America is still averaging about 370 daily deaths from the virus.
"My heart goes out to all those who have lost a loved one," Biden continued. "I know that black hole that seems to consume you, that fills up your chest when you lose someone close to you that you adored."
He added: "If you (Americans) have not been vaccinated, get vaccinated. Get vaccinated as soon as possible. We have plenty of vaccinations, plenty of sites. We have more work to do to beat this virus and now is not the time to let our guard down."
The US in May had announced that the country's adults are completely vaccinated against COVID-19. "As of today, 50 per cent of American adults are fully vaccinated. That's a big deal, folks," Biden tweeted.
According to Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data, vaccinating half of the adult Americans has marked significant progress since the vaccines were first authorized in December.
The Hill reported that Biden has set a goal of vaccinating 70 per cent of US adults with at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by July 4. While 13 states have reached that threshold, others are lagging behind and Biden appears increasingly unlikely to meet that goal.
Nationally, 64.5 per cent of Americans above age 18 have received at least one dose of vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
( With inputs from ANI )
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