President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden, with their family members, view fireworks during an Independence Day celebration on the South Lawn of the White House, Sunday, July 4.

👉 At his first large event since his inauguration, President Joe Biden hosted a party Sunday at the White House in honor of the Fourth of July holiday. 

"America is coming back together,” Biden said. 

“Today, we’re closer than ever to declaring our independence from a deadly virus.” 

The White House was open to hundreds of invited guests Sunday, serving up hamburgers and other dishes. 

Among the guests were essential workers who helped with the response to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as military families. 

In his remarks to his guests Sunday, Biden encouraged those who have not yet been vaccinated against the coronavirus to do so. 

The administration had set a goal of having 70% of American adults vaccinated by the holiday. The nation got close: about 67% have had at least one shot. 

With fireworks and gatherings, Americans celebrated their country's 245th Independence Day this year with a sense of renewal as new cases of COVID-19 continued to drop but also with the reminder that more than 600,000 in the U.S. — the most of any country — have died of the disease.