U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday observed a moment of silence at the White House as the national COVID death toll has reached 500,000.
"I ask all Americans to join us as we remember the more than 500,000 of our fellow Americans lost to COVID-19 and to observe a moment of silence at sunset," Biden said in a statement.
This staggering number all but matches the number of Americans killed in World War II, Korea and Vietnam combined.