No fewer than 500,000 people have died of Corona Virus in the United States, according to Johns Hopkins University data, it is by far the highest death toll by far of any country in the world right now.
The US reached the mind-blogging tally on Monday, just about a year after the first known death was reported in the state of California during the administration of Ex-president Trump.
‘Today, we mark a truly heartbreaking milestone – 500,071 dead,‘ US President Joe Biden said after a moment of silence was observed on Monday evening at the White House, which was lighted by hundreds of candles representing those who have died.
Read Also: German Authorities Alarmed By Coronavirus Mutations Spread
‘That is more Americans who have died in one year of this pandemic than in World War I, World War II, and the Vietnam War combined. That is more lives lost to this virus than any other nation on earth,’ Biden said.
‘But as we acknowledge the scale of this mass death in America, we remember each person and the life they lived. They were people we knew or people we feel like we knew.’
In recent weeks, COVID-19 infection rates have started to drop as the Biden administration ramped up vaccinations and put more public health restrictions in place to try to stem the spread of the virus.
US legislators from both the Republican and Democratic parties will hold a moment of silence in Congress on Tuesday to mark the sombre tally of 500,000 coronavirus-related deaths.
Biden also ordered US flags be flown at half-mast until sunset on February 26 at all federal buildings and military installations.
The president has pledged to take a more aggressive approach to get the pandemic under control than his predecessor, Donald Trump, who downplayed the threat of the virus and the need to enact strict public health guidelines.
He promised to administer 100 million coronavirus vaccine doses in his first 100 days in office, and he is pushing Congress to pass a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill that he said will provide much-needed assistance to hard-hit families.
AFRICA DAILY NEWS, NEW YORK
