US President Joe Biden, while giving his statement on Sunday’s Fourth of July celebrations, said that even though the country has made significant progress in its fight against COVID-19, it still has not been “vanquished”. Biden warned against the threat of the emerging Delta variant of the coronavirus.

While addressing the crowd at the White House lawns on Sunday, he said, “We’ve gained the upper hand against this virus.” He later added, “Do not get me wrong, COVID-19 has not been vanquished. We all know powerful variants have emerged, like the Delta variant”, reported AFP.

The statements come after Biden’s affirmations about vaccinating more than 70% of United States residents against COVID-19 before July 4 failed utterly. 

However, in a tweet posted following his address on Sunday, Biden wrote that America is coming back together while urging the American people to get vaccinated. 

The tweet read, “This year, the Fourth of July is a day of special celebration. For we are emerging from the darkest of years. A year of pandemic and isolation. A year of pain, fear, and heartbreaking loss. Today, we can say with confidence: America is coming back together.”

According to reports from CNN, more than half of the US states failed to reach the cumulative 70% mark by the fourth of July. 

White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Jeff Zients said last month that 16 states and the District of Columbia had successfully reached the goal, according to reports from USA Today.

A day before July 4, the seven-day average doses of vaccines administered per day stood at 1,121,064 while the fully vaccinated tally was 685,472 per day, according to reports from CNN.

In a follow-up tweet, Biden labelled the act of getting a vaccine “patriotic”. US Vice President Kamala Harris has also made similar calls for a quicker inoculation drive for months.