President a regular Joe in the Mass pew

PRESIDENT- elect Joe Biden was just another parishioner at Mass at his Delaware church on Sunday morning.

Following the service at the St. Joseph church on the Brandywine near his Wilmington home, Mr Biden was accompanied by his daughter Ashley and grandson Hunter, 14, to visit the churchyard graves of his first wife Neilia, daughter Naomi and his son Beau.

Neilia Biden died in 1972 when her car collided with a truck on her way to buy a Christmas tree.

The couple’s 12- month- old daughter Naomi also died in the crash while older sons Beau and Hunter survived but with significant injuries.

Beau died age 46 in 2015 from brain cancer.

The graves had been decorated with flowers, balloons and American flags following Mr Biden’s win.

Meanwhile, Mr Biden was preparing to announce who would be on his panel to fight the COVID- 19 pandemic overnight Sydney time.

More than 50 million people have contracted the virus worldwide and the US is the hardest hit nation with about 240,000 deaths.

President- elect Biden announced in his victory speech he would appoint scientists as transition advisers to create a blueprint to fight the spread of COVID- 19 after he is inaugurated on January 20 next year.

World markets reacted positively to President- elect Biden’s victory.

Stocks, oil and high- yielding currencies rallied Monday after he was declared winner of the election at the weekend, lifting a major source of uncertainty, while traders hope a stimulus package will pass for the world’s biggest economy.

Markets were already surging last week as it became apparent the former vice president was on course for victory and that Republicans would likely hold the Senate, allowing them to rein in any big regulatory or tax policies.

Wall Street futures rallied, with the Dow, S& P 500 and Nasdaq all seen opening more than 1 per cent up.