Biden: US ‘coming back together,’ but COVID not yet finished

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden is declaring that “America is coming back together” as the nation celebrates the second Fourth of July of the coronavirus pandemic.

A White House event Sunday for service members and first responders is giving the president a long-awaited opportunity to highlight the success of the vaccination campaign he championed.

While Biden says Americans are emerging from a year of darkness marked by pandemic and isolation, he also warns that the battle against COVID-19 is not over.

He says that getting vaccinated “is the most patriotic thing you can do.”