Dr. Sanjay Gupta: Taking America's pulse on its birthday

As many of you who regularly visit CNN.com know, on occasion throughout the pandemic, I have talked about the United States as if it were my patient.

I was there when the country first developed mild symptoms, and then tested positive for a new mysterious disease. I worried as the disease spread and I watched as the patient progressively worsened, needed ICU care and at times became unstable. Even as the country was eventually transferred to a general care floor and then to recovery, I stayed at its bedside. And, I am still there.