Biden Asks Americans to Remain Vigilant in COVID-19 Fight, Says Pandemic Will Get Worse Despite Vaccine
President-elect Joe Biden answers a reporter's question prior to the holiday at the Queen theatre on December 22, 2020 in Wilmington, Delaware. Biden spoke ahead of the Christmas holiday and called the $900 billion coronavirus aid bill passed by Congress on Monday a start, insisting on more economic relief after the inauguration. Joshua Roberts/Getty Images

President-elect Joe Biden said on Tuesday that the COVID-19 pandemic would likely get worse despite the rollout of the vaccination campaign.

Biden urged Americans to remain vigilant in the coming months, according to a The Hill report.

"We're averaging a death rate of close to 3,000 a day. That means we will lose tens of thousands of more lives in the months to come, and the vaccine won't be able to stop that," Biden said in the report.

He called on Americans to continue wearing masks, practice social distancing, and avoid large gatherings. Biden also called on Republicans and Democrats to work in a bipartisan fashion.

He also praised lawmakers for passing the latest COVID-19 relief package this week. Biden said that the bill is far from perfect, just like any other compromises. But he added that it does provide an important relief at a critical time.

Biden Receiving the COVID-19 vaccine

Biden has received his first dose of COVID-19 vaccine by Pfizer, saying that getting the vaccine shows that it is safe to take.

Other top political officials have also received the COVID-19 vaccine. This includes Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, according to a BBC report.

More than 500,000 Americans were reported to have been vaccinated. Biden noted that the Trump administration deserves some credit for initiating the country's vaccination campaign.

Biden's wife, Jill Biden, also received her first dose earlier in the day. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff are expected to receive their first dose next week.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump, who earlier tested positive for COVID-19, did not mention when he plans to get a shot.

Trump tweeted on Dec. 13 that he is not yet scheduled to receive the vaccine. He added that he looks forward to doing it at the right time.

Some of Trump's advisers said the president is still protected by the treatments that he received when he was hospitalized due to the virus.

Biden has expressed gratitude to health care and frontline workers. He noted that his family usually has 25 people or so over for Christmas, but not this year, according to an NPR report.

On Sunday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a new set of guidelines for the next people who would receive the vaccine.

Those first in line would be health care workers, including three million elderly Americans living in long-term care establishments. Vaccinations for this group had already started last week.

People 75 and older and frontline workers with a high risk of exposure, such as U.S. Postal Service employees, corrections workers, and those in food manufacturing, would follow it. This group is seen to be vaccinated at the start of January.

The last group would be those Americans aged 65 and older and those with underlying medical conditions that make them vulnerable to severe illness from COVID-19. This group has an estimated 129 million people.