With President Joe Biden planning to memorialize the lives lost, the US faces a grim milestone this week as it prepares to mark a whopping half-a-million fatalities. Despite the significant decline in coronavirus infections, the health officials scrambled to inoculate the American population.
It has been a year since the pandemic upended the American nation dueled with economic and public health crises. On Sunday, the White House stated that the administration planned a memorial, in which President Biden will deliver his remarks. Its spokesperson further added that Biden, First Lady Jill Biden, and second gentleman Doug Emhoff would hold a moment of silence on Monday as well as there would be a candlelight ceremony later in the evening.
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Last month, Biden observed a sundown ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial’s Reflecting Pool for those who lost their lives during the pandemic. While talking to the news reporters on Friday, Jen Psaki, the White House spokesperson added that Biden will use his platform and his voice to take a moment to remember whose lives have been lost.
As of Sunday, the health authorities in the US have recorded a total of 28 million confirmed cases with nearly 497, 862 fatalities. Even though the social distancing restrictions across the country have been eased and more vaccines are being distributed, Anthony Fauci told Americans that they may still need masks next year.
Since the US began its biggest vaccination drive, the health officials have inoculated only fifteen percent of the population, with 43 million people receiving their first dose and as many as 18 million getting their second shot. On the other hand, states across the country are now easing social distancing restrictions, allowing schools to reopen, and lifting the ban on indoor dining, even as millions still await their coronavirus vaccine.
