The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness
President Biden delivered remarks on the 500,000 lives lost to coronavirus during a Feb. 22 candle lighting ceremony at the White House. (Video: Drea Cornejo/The Washington Post, Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

As covid-19 death toll nears 500,000, Biden urges Americans to ‘fight this together’

Joe Biden began his presidency by marking a devastating milestone in the coronavirus pandemic. One month later, he presided over a somber memorial once again, leading the nation in the mourning of 500,000 American covid-19 deaths.

On Monday evening, as the official toll neared half a million, Biden held a moment of silence and a candle-lighting ceremony at the White House, accompanied by Vice President Harris.  
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Centuries before coronavirus, plague, smallpox, yellow fever and other contagions killed hundreds of millions around the world. Here’s how the coronavirus compares.
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Skip to end of carousel
When will we return to normal? The question looms as Anthony S. Fauci says mask-wearing may continue in 2022.
First real-world coronavirus vaccine data in the U.K. show a decline in infections and hospitalizations after the first dose.
Centuries before coronavirus, plague, smallpox, yellow fever and other contagions killed hundreds of millions around the world. Here’s how the coronavirus compares.
Can covid-19 herd immunity be reached without vaccinating kids? It’s complicated.
In the United States, the virus has claimed nearly as many lives as the population of Atlanta. How can we grasp such a number? What if we imagined all those people traveling as one group? Or killed in action? Or all buried together?
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