US President Joe Biden offered his Covid-weary nation a tantalizing glimpse of an almost normal July 4, outlining in a speech how the United States can defeat the coronavirus if people stay united on prevention measures and get vaccinated.

“This fight is far from over,” Biden said in his first televised primetime address as president, marking 12 months since the coronavirus outbreak was declared a pandemic.

Delivering an emotional tribute to the more than 530,000 Americans who have died from Covid-19 over the last 12 months, Biden said “While it was different for everyone, we all lost something: a collective suffering, a collective sacrifice.”

But he raised hope that the country hardest hit by the global pandemic could overcome the virus if Americans work together and follow health experts' guidelines on wearing masks and getting vaccinated.