Biden urges safe Thanksgiving amid coronavirus pandemic

US President-elect Joe Biden pleaded with Americans on Wednesday to take steps to remain safe over the Thanksgiving holiday as COVID-19 cases soar.

Biden gave a presidential-style speech acknowledging people`s fatigue with restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic, but urged them to exercise caution as caseloads surge.

"I know the country has grown weary of the fight. We need to remember - we`re at war with the virus, not with one another," Biden said as he urged Americans to forgo the type of big family gatherings normally associated with Thursday`s holiday, wear protective masks and maintain social distancing.

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He said he would take immediate steps to address the coronavirus pandemic when he takes office on Jan. 20. During the campaign, Biden accused Trump, a Republican, of panicking and surrendering in the face of a public health crisis.

Biden said the United States faced "a long hard winter" but that it was during the most difficult circumstances that "the soul of our nation has been forged."

He said he hoped the recent positive news on vaccine development - the first shots potentially could be made available to some Americans within weeks - would serve as an incentive for people to take simple steps to get the virus under control.

"We have to try to slow the growth of the virus. We owe that to the doctors, the nurses, and the other front-line health care workers who have risked so much and heroically battled this virus for so long," Biden said in his Thanksgiving message to the nation ahead of a long weekend that traditionally features large family gatherings and a burst of cross country travel.

"More testing will find people with cases and get them away from other people, slowing the number of infections. More protective gear for businesses and schools will do the same - reducing the number of cases. Clear guidance will get more businesses and more schools open," he said.

Biden struck an upbeat tone despite the looming crisis of a "dark winter" that medical experts have warned about. "There is real hope, tangible hope. So hang on. Don`t let yourself surrender to the fatigue," Biden urged Americans as daily cases and deaths shattered records.

"I know we can and we will beat this virus. America is not going to lose this war. You will get your lives back. Life is going to return to normal. That will happen. This will not last forever," he said.

Biden noted that in his own family, a big Thanksgiving is off the table because of the pandemic.

More than 261,000 Americans have died from COVID-19, with the daily toll on Tuesday surpassing 2,000 for the first time since May, as infections and hospitalizations surge nationally. The United States leads the world in COVID-19 cases and deaths.