Biden Celebrates Progress Against Virus, but Acknowledges Hurdles Ahead

The White House hosted an Independence Day event to signal the administration’s headway against the pandemic, but it was still far from a victory pronouncement.

WASHINGTON — On the day that President Biden had long anticipated as a milestone in the fight against the coronavirus, the White House hosted a celebration to both commemorate the July 4 holiday and herald the administration’s progress toward overcoming the pandemic. In bringing together some 1,000 people for the largest planned event of Mr. Biden’s presidency, the White House has been forced to walk a fine line, striving to signal progress toward restoring normalcy while still acknowledging the dangers of a pandemic that continues to claim hundreds of lives a day. The president continued that strategy on Sunday, comparing the nation’s fight for independence with the battle against the coronavirus.