US President Joe Biden said Thursday that coronavirus cases are declining in 39 of 50 states and hospitalizations are falling in 38.

Biden said his administration is making progress to "accelerate the path out of this pandemic."

"Nationally, daily cases are down 47%, hospitalizations are down 38% over the past six weeks,” he said in a speech at the White House to provide an update on the COVID-19 response. “Over the past two weeks, most of the country has improved as well.”

Biden said the US now has 66 million unvaccinated people, down from 100 million in July.

"That's important progress, but now's not the time to let up, we have a lot more to do. We're in a very critical period as we work to turn the corner on COVID-19," he said.

The president said it is essential to vaccinate the unvaccinated and touted that vaccine requirements his administration started rolling out in the summer are working.

Biden announced during the summer that COVID-19 vaccination would be required for federal government employees and the military. And last month he required the same of all businesses with more than 100 employees. Most health care workers are also required to get the shot.

The death toll in the US from COVID-19 stands at more than 719,000, with over 44.6 million cases, according to US-based Johns Hopkins University.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the number vaccinated is 217 million./aa