Biden to light candles in White House, as US crosses grim 5,00,000 COVID death mark

In the presence of First Lady Jill Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, US President Joe Biden will light candles and observe silence in the White House to mark the US crossing 5,00,000 lives lost from COVID-19. The White House said Biden will deliver remarks at sunset.

The US virus death toll had reached 4,00,000 on January 19, in the waning hours in office for Donald Trump. The first known deaths from the virus in the US happened in early February 2020, both of them in Santa Clara County, California. It took four months to reach the first 1,00,000 casualties. The toll hit 2,00,000 deaths in September, and 3,00,000 in December. Then it took just over a month to go from 3,00,000 to 4,00,000, and about two months to climb from 4,00,000 to the brink of 5,00,000.

At the same time, with wreath-laying ceremonies, tree plantings and church services, Italians on Sunday marked one year since their country experienced its first known COVID-19 death. Towns in Italy's north were the first to be hard-hit by the pandemic and put under lockdown, and residents paid tribute to the dead. Italy, with some 95,500 confirmed virus dead, has Europe's second-highest pandemic toll after Britain. Experts say the virus also killed many others who were never tested.