Transcript of Biden’s first prime-time national address

US President Joe Biden has addressed Americans on the first anniversary of the lockdown, outlining his government’s plan to defeat the coronavirus.

US President Joe Biden has addressed Americans on the first anniversary of the pandemic lockdown, outlining his government’s plan to defeat the coronavirus that has killed more than half a million people in the country. In a forceful but sombre speech from the White House, Biden said he was working to accelerate COVID-19 vaccinations to create a greater sense of normality in the country by the July 4 Independence Day holiday. “If we do this together, by July the 4th, there’s a good chance you, your families and friends will be able to get together in your back yard or in your neighbourhood and have a cookout or a barbecue and celebrate Independence Day,” Biden said in his first televised prime-time address as president.