President Biden on Saturday urged Americans not to become numb to the sorrow wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic, as the U.S. death toll from the deadly virus eclipsed 700,000.
“On this day and every day, we remember all those we have lost to this pandemic and we pray for their loved ones left behind who are missing a piece of their soul,” Mr. Biden said in a statement.
The U.S. surpassed 700,000 COVID-19 related deaths on Friday and still leads the world in COVID-cases and deaths, accounting for 19% and 14% respectively. On average, the U.S. reported about 2,000 deaths per day over the past week, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Globally, the pandemic is set to surpass more than 5 million deaths.
The highly transmissible delta variant has fueled a surge in COVID-19 cases.
Mr. Biden, who received a booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccine on Monday, urged Americans to get vaccinated.
“More than three-quarters of all Americans age 12 and up have now received at least one vaccine dose—including nearly 94 percent of all seniors. Hundreds of thousands of families have been spared the unbearable loss that too many Americans have already endured during this pandemic,” he said.
