The Bidens encourage Americans to get vaccinated against the coronavirus in Easter message

• President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden wished Americans a happy Easter in a video message.
• In the video, the Bidens also urged Americans to get vaccinated against the coronavirus as soon as they can.
• About 56 million Americans, or 17%, have been fully vaccinated, Johns Hopkins University data.

In a recorded message, the Bidens wished Americans a happy Easter holiday and urged them to continue to take precautions against the coronavirus.

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden appeared side by side in the video, and both extended holiday greetings in their joint address.

"Jill and I want to send you our warmest Easter greetings to you and your family. As we celebrate this most holy day, we know many are still going without familiar comforts of the season," the president said. "The virus is not gone, and so many of us feel the longing and loneliness of distance. For a second year, most will be apart from their families, their friends, full congregations that fill us with joy."

"Yet as the Gospel of John reminds us, the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it," he added.

The first lady echoed the president's remarks, adding that she's optimistic about the future of the United States in relation to economic downfalls and medical issues brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

"Today, as spring returns, we see hope all around us," she said. "Families are getting the financial help they need to take a breath once again. Businesses are recovering and more and more Americans are getting life-saving vaccines."

The president spoke again after the first lady, encouraging all Americans to get a vaccine against the coronavirus whenever it's available to them.

"By getting vaccinated and encouraging your congregations and your communities to get vaccinated, we not only can beat this virus, we can also haste the day when we can celebrate the holidays together again," he said.

Biden referenced Pope Francis in his address, saying he and the first lady "share the sentiments" of Francis who in January referred to the vaccine as an ethical obligation.

In his own Easter address this weekend, the Pope also suggested that the coronavirus vaccine is a priority, adding that he hopes people around the world experiencing hardship because of the pandemic find relief soon.

"I urge the entire international community, in a spirit of global responsibility, to commit to overcoming delays in the distribution of vaccines and to facilitate their distribution, especially in the poorest countries," Francis said.

There have been at least 30 million positive coronavirus cases in the United States, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. More than 554,000 Americans have died from it. So far, about 56 million Americans, or 17%, have been fully vaccinated, according to JHU data.

The statement from the Bidens directly contrasts the one put out by former President Donald Trump.

"Happy Easter to ALL, including the Radical Left CRAZIES who rigged our Presidential Election, and want to destroy our Country!" Trump said on Sunday.

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