President Biden
Joe BidenTikTok users spread conspiracy that Texas snow was government-manufactured The problem with a one-size-fits-all federal minimum wage hike Throwing money into Central America won’t curb illegal migration MORE Monday mourned the more than 500,000 Americans lost to the new coronavirus and called for unity in the fight against the pandemic.
In personal comments from the White House, Biden reflected on the “truly stark, heartbreaking milestone” of more than 500,000 US deaths from COVID-19. He described his own experiences of grief and the loss of loved ones while paying tribute to those who passed away in the past year.
“As a nation, we cannot accept such a cruel fate,” said Biden. “Although we’ve been fighting this pandemic for so long, we shouldn’t let the grief stun us. We must resist seeing every life as a statistic, a blur, or on the news. We must do this to honor the dead, but just as importantly, to care for the living, for those left behind. “
Biden noted at the beginning of his address that he carries a card with him every day showing the number of Americans who have died from COVID-19. He also cited correspondence with Americans affected by the virus, including a man he met on a trip to Michigan last week whose father-in-law died of COVID-19.
“The birthdays, the anniversaries, the holidays without them. And the everyday things – the little things, the little things – that you miss the most: that scent when you open the closet, that park you pass by where you used to walk around. “That movie theater where you met. That morning coffee you shared.”
The United States passed the grim threshold of 500,000 US deaths from the coronavirus earlier Monday, about a year after the country’s first confirmed death from COVID-19. Worldwide, nearly 2.5 million people have died from the virus.
Biden and first lady Jill Biden
Jill BidenBiden mourns 500,000 US lives lost to coronavirus Biden to order flags for half of staff to mark 500,000 virus deaths Pelosi keeps moment of silence as US approaches 500,000 COVID-19 deaths along with Vice President Harris and second Mr. Doug Emhoff
Doug EmhoffBiden mourns 500,000 US lives lost to coronavirus Biden to order flags for half staff to mark 500,000 virus deaths Pelosi keeps moment of silence as US approaches 500,000 COVID-19 deaths participated in a candle-lighting ceremony and a moment of silence at the White House to highlight the lives lost after the president’s speech.
The Marine Band played “Amazing Grace” while standing in silence. Flags in the White House were also lowered to half-staff to mark those lost to the virus.
Biden’s approach contrasted with that of its predecessor, former President Trump
Donald Trump Fauci: US Political Divide Over Masks Leads to Half a Million COVID-19 Deaths Bishop of Georgia says GOP state election law is an ‘attempt to suppress black vote’ court on tax returns MORE, who often downplayed the threat of the virus in public commentary and in practice while holding major campaign rallies and official events. When the death toll reached 100,000 last May, Trump recognized in a tweet the next day the “very sad milestone.”
Biden in his speech urged Americans to continue the practices of social detachment and mask-wearing to prevent the further spread of the virus at a time when the number of cases is declining but remains high across the country.
Today I ask all Americans to remember, think of the ones we lost, the ones we left behind. But as we all remember, I also ask us to act, to stay vigilant, to stay socially distant, to hide. Get vaccinated when it’s your turn, ”Biden said. “We need to end the politics and misinformation that have divided families, communities and the country and cost too many lives. It’s not Democrats and Republicans who are dying of the virus; they are our fellow Americans. “
“We have to fight this together, as one people, as the United States of America. That’s the only way we can beat this virus, ”he continued. “Let this not be a story of how far we’ve fallen, but of how far we’ve climbed.”
The approval of coronavirus vaccines is an important positive milestone in the country’s fight against the coronavirus.
The Biden administration is now facing the challenge of distributing vaccines to states and ensuring that Americans are vaccinated.
A severe weather attack interrupted distribution last week, but senior adviser Andy Slavitt, senior adviser on the coronavirus response to the White House, told reporters on Monday that the dose backlog would be settled by mid-week.
Coronavirus cases have declined from their January peak, but remain high across the country, and public health experts are urging Americans to maintain social distance and wear masks to prevent further spread of the virus .
“We continue to see trends in the right direction, but the number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths remains at a very high level,” said the director of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Rochelle WalenskyRochelle WalenskyBiden mourns 500,000 US lives lost to White House coronavirus: Weather-delayed COVID-19 vaccine shipments will be delivered to California during the week to set aside 10 percent of vaccines for educators MORE told reporters Monday. She called the 500,000 milestone “a truly tragic reminder of the enormity of this pandemic.”