US President-elect Joe Biden promises more relief, warns 'darkest days' ahead

Mr Biden wants more stimulus checks, vaccine funding, and further expanded unemployment

President-elect Joe Biden arrives to speak at The Queen Theater in Wilmington, Del., Tuesday, Dec 22, 2020. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

US President-elect Joe Biden advised caution for the upcoming winter holidays and previewed what additional Covid stimulus he'd request in the new year during a briefing on Tuesday.

He held a year-end press conference in Wilmington, Delaware, before the Christmas and New Year holidays.

"Throughout this year, we had to forego many of our favorite holiday traditions," Mr Biden said.

"Like we did over Thanksgiving, we all have to care enough for each other that we have to stay apart just a little bit longer. I know it's hard."

The US is dealing with the world's largest and deadliest coronavirus outbreak, with around 200,000 infections tallied each day.

Hospitals are overwhelmed with a record number of 115,000 hospitalisations related to the deadly disease, Covid-19, according to the Covid Tracking Project.

More than 321,000 Americans have died thus far. Preliminary numbers say 2020 could be the deadliest year in US history.

"I'm going to tell it to you straight, I'm going to tell you the truth, and here is the simple truth: Our darkest days in the battle against COVID are ahead of us, not behind us, so we need to prepare ourselves, to steel our spines," Mr Biden said.

Despite an advisory by the Centres for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) to stay close to home for the winter holidays, the US travel agency recorded the highest levels of travel since the beginning of the US pandemic outbreak in March.

"We have a long way to go, but we're grateful that we've got the vaccine," Mr Biden added.

He was inoculated with the first of two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on Monday.

"We're in short supply," he said. "Taking the vaccine from a vial into the arm of millions of Americans is one of the biggest operational challenges the United States has ever faced."

With the unique endevor, Mr Biden said he was going to ask Congress to pass additional funding for the Covid-19 vaccine rollout in the country. He wants to make sure there is more state and local aid money to help with testing and vaccines.

Congress passed a large $900 billion relief package on Monday night, of which does have funds towards vaccine distribution and $600 stimulus checks for most Americans.

"Like all compromises, this is far from perfect," Mr Biden said. "Congress did their job this week, and I can and I must ask them to do it again next year."

He said he will request lawmakers to further expand Covid relief for Americans, even pushing them to pass another package with more stimulus checks.

Mr Biden was in favor for stimulus checks that would be as large as $1,200, similar to what was sent out earlier in the year, but negotiations led to the $600 benefit.

He also said he will support another extension of expanded unemployment. The current plan is that such unemployment would expire in March of 2021.

He is looking into job creation, rent and mortgage moratoriums if Americans are unable to pay them, as well as, "direct payments to small businesses" across the country.

"This bill is just the first step, a down payment, in addressing the crisis -- crises, more than one, that we're in," Mr Biden declared. "There is a lot more work to do."

Current President Donald Trump still has to sign the relief bill when it arrives to his desk.