WATCH: Biden says ‘we’ve broken the COVID grip’ during his State of the Union address

President Joe Biden used his State of the Union address to urge Congress to “remain vigilant” on the COVD-19 virus saying “we still need to monitor dozens of variants and support new vaccines and treatments. So, Congress needs to fund these efforts and keep America safe,” Biden said.

Watch Biden’s remarks in the player above.

The phase-out of the emergency declarations, which is planned to take place in May, means the end of federal funding that has provided free COVID tests and treatments for many Americans.

“While the virus is not gone, thanks to resilience of the American people and the ingenuity of medicine, we have broken the COVID grip on us.”

Biden also reflected on the pain and suffering of Americans during the pandemic. “More than a million Americans lost their lives to COVID,” he said.

WATCH: President Joe Biden’s 2023 State of the Union address

Biden also said his administration would “double down on prosecuting criminals who stole relief money meant to keep workers and small businesses afloat.”

Biden’s Feb. 7 address comes a year after Russia invaded Ukraine and amid new diplomatic tensions between the U.S. and China over a suspected surveillance balloon. This is Biden’s second State of the Union address, as his first was a joint address to Congress in April 2021.

Last year, Biden used his address to emphasize themes of bipartisanship and unity. But he now faces a split Congress, with the GOP-led House launching efforts to investigate his family and his administration.

Watch more of PBS NewsHour’s State of the Union coverage:

• How will Biden address climate change in the 2023 State of the Union?
  
• Ukraine, China and how Biden will address foreign policy in the 2023 State of the Union
• How Biden could address inflation and the economy during the 2023 State of the Union