Biden calls on US to remember lives of 500,000 killed by Covid
US FLAGS are being flown at halfmast until Friday after the country passed the grim milestone of 500,000 people having died from coronavirus.
Meanwhile, bells tolled at the National Cathedral in Washington – ringing a symbolic 500 times.
‘On this solemn occasion, we reflect on their loss and on their loved ones left behind,’ president Joe Biden said in a speech from the White House.
‘We, as a nation, must remember them so we can begin to heal, to unite, and find purpose as one nation to defeat this pandemic.’
He called on Americans to ‘remember each person and the life they lived’. He listed ‘the son who called his mom every night just to check in; the father, the daughter who lit up his world; the best friend who was always there; the nurse who made her patients want to live’. The US had recorded 28million cases and 500,26 Covid deaths as of Monday, according to health figures.
About 19 per cent of world Covid deaths have been in the US, which has four per cent of the global population.
‘If you look back historically, we’ve done worse than almost any other country and we’re a highly developed, rich country,’ Dr Anthony Fauci, infectious disease adviser to Mr Biden, told Good Morning America.
Despite the heavy toll, the number of infections has now dropped for a sixth week. Health experts warn mutant strains could be a setback, but Mr Biden called on Americans to keep fighting by mask-wearing, social distancing and having vaccinations.