Biden commemorates 500,000 U.S. lives lost to COVID-19

Hours after the U.S. crossed the threshold of 500,000 deaths from COVID-19, President Biden commemorated the lives lost over the past year on Monday night. No other country has lost more lives to the yearlong pandemic than the U.S.

"Today, we mark a truly grim, heartbreaking milestone," he said in a brief speech at the White House. "500,071 dead. That's more Americans who died in one year in this pandemic than in World War I, World War II and the Vietnam War combined."

Remembrance, Mr. Biden said, is an important part of the healing process, both for individuals and for the nation. Shortly before the event, the president ordered the flags at the White House lowered to half staff. Candles graced the steps from the White House residence to the South Lawn, as the president, first lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff looked out over the South Lawn in a moment of silence.