US President Joe Biden called upon Americans to continue to remain vigilant against the Covid-19 pandemic as the nation is poised to cross a grim milestone of 1 million deaths.
"Today, we mark a tragic milestone: one million American lives lost to Covid-19," the American President said in a statement Thursday, as he co-hosted a virtual global summit on combating the pandemic, with Germany, Indonesia, Senegal and Belize.
The United States has not crossed that mark yet. The toll stands at 995,747, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the top US government health agency that keeps an official track of Covid-19 numbers in the US.
Globally 6.2 million people have died due to Covid-19, according to WHO.
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Biden has ordered flags lowered to half-staff.
The US President called for a renewed commitment by all nations to combat the pandemic.
"This summit is an opportunity to renew our efforts to keep our foot on the gas when it comes to getting this pandemic under control and preventing future health crises," he said.