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US on Verge of 500,000 COVID Deaths

VOA News

   The United States is on the verge of half a millionCOVID-19deaths,more
   coronavirus-relateddeaths than anywhere else,according to the Johns
   HopkinsCoronavirusResource Center.

   U.S. President Joe Biden will talk about the lives lost to the virus
   Monday evening at the White House, followed by a moment of silence and
   a candle lightingceremony.

   "People decades from now are going to be talking about this as a
   terribly historic milestone in the history of this country, to have
   these many people to have died from a respiratory-borne infection,"
   Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert saidSunday on
   CNN.
   President Joe Biden speaks during a visit to the National Institutes of
   Health, Feb. 11, 2021, in Bethesda, Md. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of
   the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, listens at
   right.

   To commemorate the dismal sum, the New York Timesdedicated primespaceon
   Sunday's front page with a graphic containing nearly500,000dots,
   representingeach individualin the U.S. who hassuccumbed to the deadly
   virus.

   The U.S.is also the global leaderforCOVID-19 caseswith more than 28
   million infections.

   It was one year ago that Italy became the first country outside of Asia
   to confirm locally transmitted coronavirus infections.

   Pope Francis and Italian PresidentSergio Mattarellamarked the
   anniversary Sunday by establishing theNational Day of Health Care
   Personnel,an annual day to honor doctors, nurses and other medical
   providers.

   "The virus has thrived because poverty, discrimination, the destruction
   of our natural environment and other human rights failures have created
   enormous fragilities in our societies," Antonio Guterres, the U.N.
   secretary-general,wrotein an essaypublished Mondayin The Guardian."An
   effective response to the pandemic must be based on solidarity and
   cooperation. Divisive approaches, authoritarianism and nationalism make
   no sense against a global threat."
   Flowers adorn the tombstone of Adriano Trevisan, Italy's first known
   victim of COVID-19, at the cemetery of Vo Vecchio, in Vo Euganeo, Feb.
   10, 2021.

   The CEO of theSerum Institute of Indiahas warned "countries and
   governments" in a post on Twitter thatthey may not receive their
   coronavirus vaccines in a timely manner because thecompany"has been
   directed toprioritizethe huge needs of India and along with that
   balance the needs of the rest of the world. We are trying our best."

   India has more than 11 million coronavirus cases, according to Hopkins.

   In Tanzania Sunday, JohnMagufuli, the country's president, acknowledged
   that the East African nation was battling a coronavirus outbreak.

   Tanzania had stopped reporting virus case and death numbers last
   spring, when 500 cases and 20 deaths had been recorded. The president
   had claimed the nation was "coronavirus-free" and stated falsely that
   the virus had been defeated by prayer.

   The country is now seeing the deaths ofsomegovernment officials,
   includingSeif Sharif Hamad, known as Maalim Seif, who died last week at
   the age of 77. The popular vice president of semi-autonomous Zanzibar
   had COVID-19, his political party said earlier.

   On Saturday, TedrosAdhanom Ghebreyesus,the World Health Organization
   chief,called the denial in Tanzania "very concerning." The WHO chief
   again urged the country to start reporting coronavirus cases and share
   its data.

   "A number of Tanzanians traveling to neighboring countries and beyond
   have tested positive for COVID-19," the WHO director-general said in a
   statement. "This underscores the need for Tanzania to take robust
   action both to safeguard their own people and protect populations in
   these countries and beyond."

   On Sunday,Magufuliencouraged Tanzanians to wear face masks, but only
   ones made in-country.Magufulihas repeatedly expressed concern about
   foreign-made goods, including vaccines.

   Hopkins reported early Monday that there are more than 111 million
   global COVID infections and nearly 2.5 million global deaths.

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