Biden to Hold Moment of Silence

500K deaths expected to be reached Monday
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 22, 2021 1:17 AM CST
Biden to Hold Moment of Silence as US Nears 500K Deaths
President Joe Biden participates in a virtual event with the Munich Security Conference in the East Room of the White House, Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, in Washington.   (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

The US is within hours of hitting the grim milestone of 500,000 deaths from COVID-19, and President Biden plans to honor the half-million US victims of the coronavirus with a moment of silence Monday night. He'll first offer remarks at the White House, and after the moment of silence a candle-lighting ceremony will be held at sundown, sources tell Axios. "In the evening, the President will deliver remarks on the lives lost to COVID-19 in the Cross Hall. The First Lady, the Vice President, and the Second Gentleman will be in attendance," reads a White House statement cited by the Hill. The US has the most coronavirus deaths of any country in the world, followed by Brazil with roughly half. Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN on Sunday that Americans might need to be wearing masks into 2022. (More coronavirus stories.)

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