US President Joe Biden has urged the states to not lift coronavirus-induced restrictions after a top health official warned of “impending doom” on Monday. The warning comes amid a surge in COVID-19, a disease that has killed around 550,000 Americans.

According to Reuters, Biden said, “I’m reiterating my call for every governor, mayor and local leader to maintain and reinstate the mask mandate.”

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“We still are in a war with this deadly virus. And we’re bolstering our defences, but this war’s far from won,” he said.

US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention chief Dr Rochelle Walensky urged government officials and others to understand its seriousness.

“I’m going to lose the script and I’m going to reflect on the recurring feeling I have of impending doom,” Walensky said. “Right now I’m scared.”

The White House on Monday said that 90% of the country’s population will be eligible for a vaccination against the deadly disease from April 19 and they will have a vaccination centre within five miles of their homes.