‘Heartbreaking,’ says Biden as US Covid deaths top 500,000
Toll surpasses combined American fatalities from WWI, WWII, Vietnam War
WASHINGTON/LONDON: President Joe Biden led Americans in observing a moment of silence on Monday to commemorate the grim milestone of more than 500,000 US deaths from Covid-19, urging Americans to set aside partisan differences and fight the pandemic together.
“Today we mark a truly grim, heartbreaking milestone 500,071 dead. That’s more Americans who have died in one year in this pandemic than in World War I, World War II and the Vietnam War combined,” Biden said in emotional remarks at the
White House. “But as we acknowledge the scale of this mass death in America, we remember each person and the life they lived. They’re people we knew.”
Biden, vice-president Kamala Harris, first lady Jill Biden and second gentleman Doug Emhoff marked a moment of silence at 6.15pm outdoors at the White House after the president’s remarks, bowing their heads.
Five hundred lit candles lined the White House steps to commemorate the dead and a military band played a soaring rendition of Amazing Grace.
Biden ordered that all flags on federal properties and military facilities be lowered to half-staff until Friday at sunset to commemorate the dead.
About 19% of total global coronavirus deaths have occurred in the United States, an outsized figure given that the nation accounts for just 4% of the world’s population.
Digital Covid travel pass within weeks: Report
The BBC reported on Tuesday that the International Air Transport Association (IATA) is all set to roll out what will be called “digital Covid travel passes” in a few weeks’ time. The travel pass, according to the report, is an app that shows if a traveller meets the stated criteria to enter a country - basically whether the passenger has had the necessary coronavirus test or has taken the Covid-19 vaccine.
With several governments around the world deciding to stick with restrictions for inbound travellers, the IATA is set to make the digital travel pass an essential prerequisite when the international airlines industry reopens, the report says.
In Australia, a lawmaker who frequently peddled pandemic misinformation quit the conservative governing party on Tuesday, weeks after being publicly dressed down by Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
Craig Kelly, a member of Morrison’s Liberal Party, repeatedly used social media and the floor of parliament to question the safety of coronavirus vaccines, oppose lockdowns, and promote unproven Covid-19 treatments such as malaria drug hydroxychloroquine and lice medication.
Kelly’s defection denied Morrison’s coalition its majority in the lower house of parliament, but the rebel lawmaker said he would continue to support the government on key votes.
Indonesian orangutans airlifted back to the wild
Ten orangutans have been airlifted back to their natural habitat on Indonesia’s Borneo island, in the first release of the apes into the wild for a year due to the dangers of coronavirus infection.
The animals were flown by helicopter across the island’s dense jungle earlier this month to keep them away from dayslong land and sea routes that could expose them to the virus.
Orangutans share 97% of human DNA, so conservationists have been on high alert for signs of infection. The pandemic has thrown up unprecedented challenges for conservation efforts.
“For an entire year, we have not been able to release orangutans due to the global pandemic,” said Jamartin Sihite, chief executive of the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF).
The fuzzy-haired creatures were sedated with tranquillisers before their flight and were shuttled inside transport cages encased in netting.