US President Joe Biden on Friday urged Americans to keep up their guard against COVID-19, saying, “I plead with you. Don’t give back the progress we’ve all fought so hard to achieve,” quotes news agency AFP. 

The remarks by the US President came as he talked about strong new job numbers. The US economy regained 916,000 new jobs in March. This is the largest increase since August as the unemployment rate in the US now stands at 6% against 6.2% in February.  

Welcoming the new figures, the Democrat President gave credit to his $1.9 trillion American Rescue plan for the new job numbers. 

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The US vaccination programme has picked up pace since late January after slow rollout, and Biden has promised that 90% of adults in America will be eligible for a vaccine by April 19. 

Even when the US is witnessing optimism with a strong vaccination drive against coronavirus, Biden said, “We need to finish this job.” 

“We need every American to buckle down and keep their guard up in this homestretch,” the President said, quotes AFP.

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Biden reiterated, asking people to continue wearing masks, maintain six feet of social distancing and hand washing. 

“Get vaccinated when it’s your turn. That’s how we’re going to beat the virus,” he added. “Cast off the weight of the pandemic that’s holding our economy back,” the 78-year-old said.