WASHINGTON: The United States faces a dark milestone this week despite a recent decline in COVID-19 cases as it prepares to mark a staggering half-million deaths, with President Joe Biden planning to memorialize the lives lost.
While the number of COVID-19 cases fell for the fifth straight week and officials scrambled to inoculate the population, the nation was poised to reach 500,000 deaths from the highly infectious respiratory disease.
It has been nearly a year since the pandemic upended the country with dueling public health and economic crises.
"It's nothing like we've ever been through in the last 102 years since the 1918 influenza pandemic. ... It really is a terrible situation that we've been through - and that we're still going through," Dr. Anthony Fauci, White House COVID-19 medical adviser and the nation's top infectious disease official, told CNN's "State of the Union" program on Sunday.
The White House said on Sunday it planned a memorial event in which Biden would deliver remarks.
A White House spokesman said the president along with first lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff would hold a moment of silence on Monday and there would be a candle-lighting ceremony at sundown.
Biden last month observed America's COVID-19 deaths on the eve of his inauguration with a sundown ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial's Reflecting Pool.
Biden will use "his own voice and platform to take a moment to remember the people whose lives have been lost, the families who are still suffering ... at what is still a very difficult moment in this country," White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters on Friday.
STILL AT 'VERY HIGH' LEVEL
More than 28 million COVID-19 cases have rocked the United States and 497,862 have died, even as daily average deaths and hospitalizations have fallen to the lowest levels since before the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. The virus took a full year off the average life expectancy in the United States, the biggest decline since World War Two.
While the decline "is really terrific ... we are still at a level that's very high," Fauci said on NBC's "Meet the Press" program. "We want to get that baseline really, really, really low before we start thinking that we're out of the woods."
Fauci told CNN that Americans may still need masks in 2022 even as other measures to stop the virus' spread become increasingly relaxed and more vaccines are administered, and they may also need a booster shot depending on how variants emerge.
Less than 15% of the U.S. population has received at least one vaccine dose, with nearly 43 million getting at least one shot and nearly 18 million getting a second shot, U.S. statistics show.
More localities are easing some restrictions, such as on indoor dining, and moving to reopen schools even as millions await their shots, sparking debate over the safety of teachers, students and others.
Financial pressures also continue to weigh even as economists express optimism for the year ahead. Congress is weighing Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, with the House of Representatives expected to vote on it this week and the Senate seeking to pass it before March 14.
Reuters
Mon Feb 22 2021
A woman hands out food at a Los Angeles Food Bank distribution, as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, in Los Angeles, California, U.S., February 19, 2021. REUTERS pic
Dua geran bantu mula, kembang projek pertanian dilancar
Kementerian Pertanian dan Keterjaminan Makanan (KPKM) hari ini melancarkan Geran “Start-Up” dan “Scale-Up” bagi membantu golongan muda dalam sektor pertanian dan agromakanan mengurangkan kos permulaan serta mengembangkan projek pertanian.
Prospek meningkat bukti pelabur percaya kebolehan negara
Gabenor Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) Datuk Seri Abdul Rasheed Abdul Ghaffour berkata, pelaburan yang diluluskan berjumlah hampir RM84 bilion untuk suku pertama 2024 mencerminkan kepercayaan pelabur terhadap Malaysia.
RON97, diesel turun lagi
Harga runcit petrol RON97 turun sebanyak 6 sen manakala diesel turun sebanyak 6 sen seliter bagi tempoh 19 hingga 25 September 2024.
Ini menurunkan harga kedua-dua minyak itu masing-masing kepada RM3.19 dan RM2.95 seliter.
Ini menurunkan harga kedua-dua minyak itu masing-masing kepada RM3.19 dan RM2.95 seliter.
Malaysia teliti penggunaan nuklear sebagai tenaga alternatif
Kerajaan tidak menolak kemungkinan untuk melihat nuclear sebagai salah satu alternatif bagi membolehkan negara berada di landasan yang tepat untuk menuju ke arah dekarbonisasi.
Menteri Sumber dan Kelestarian Alam, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad berkata, Malaysia perlu mencari tenaga alternatif memandangkan 80 peratus sumber tenaga elektrik datang daripada arang batu dan gas asli, dan kerajaan telah pun memutuskan tiada loji arang batu yang baharu
Menteri Sumber dan Kelestarian Alam, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad berkata, Malaysia perlu mencari tenaga alternatif memandangkan 80 peratus sumber tenaga elektrik datang daripada arang batu dan gas asli, dan kerajaan telah pun memutuskan tiada loji arang batu yang baharu
Malaysia, Tajikistan perkukuh hubungan dua hala - Ahmad Zahid
Malaysia dan Tajikistan akan terus memperkukuh hubungan dua hala terutama dalam sektor ekonomi, pendidikan serta kebudayaan.
Angkatan bersenjata Singapura hantar bantuan kemanusiaan ke negara terjejas Taufan Yagi
Bantuan itu merangkumi selimut, kit kebersihan, penapis air, bekas air mudah alih serta pek makanan.
Kelindan lori maut dihempap gulungan tembaga
Seorang kelindan lori maut selepas dihempap gulungan tembaga seberat dua tan di Kemaman.
Kejadian berlaku apabila lori kargo yang dinaikinya terbalik selepas melanggar sebuah lori rosak di lorong kecemasan.
Kejadian berlaku apabila lori kargo yang dinaikinya terbalik selepas melanggar sebuah lori rosak di lorong kecemasan.
Pengerusi sebuah pusat pengajian agama dituduh amang seksual remaja
Seorang pengerusi sebuah pusat pengajian agama swasta dihadapkan ke mahkamah atas pertuduhan melakukan amang seksual fizikal terhadap pelajarnya dalam tiga kejadian berbeza.
Tertuduh, Mohd Hafidz Eshak, bagaimanapun mengaku tidak bersalah selepas tiga pertuduhan terhadapnya dibacakan di Mahkamah Sesyen Seremban hari ini.
Tertuduh, Mohd Hafidz Eshak, bagaimanapun mengaku tidak bersalah selepas tiga pertuduhan terhadapnya dibacakan di Mahkamah Sesyen Seremban hari ini.
SPRM jumpa wang tunai hampir RM800,000 dalam bilik tidur pegawai imigresen
SPRM mendedahkan hampir RM800,000 wang tunai dijumpai di bilik tidur dua pegawai imigresen yang terlibat dalam sindiket "counter setting".
Jumlah mangsa di Kedah meningkat
Mangsa banjir di Kedah terus mencatatkan peningkatan apabila 2,194 mangsa daripada 388 keluarga ditempatkan di 11 pusat pemindahan sementara (PPS) di negeri ini.
Perjanjian gencatan senjata di Gaza perlu selesai segera - Antony Blinken
AS, Mesir dan Qatar akan melakukan segala yang mungkin untuk memastikan Hamas bersetuju dengan "cadangan perantara" tersebut.
Lima negara, Kesatuan Afrika, PBB komited teruskan rundingan damai Sudan
Kenyataan bersama itu dikeluarkan oleh Amerika Syarikat (AS), Switzerland, Arab Saudi, Mesir, Emiriah Arab Bersatu (UAE), Kesatuan Afrika dan PBB.
AS rayu keputusan beri pingat gangsa kepada gimnas Romania
Gimnastik AS mengemukakan bukti tambahan kepada Mahkamah Timbang Tara Sukan (CAS) untuk menyokong kes atlet Jordan Chiles harus mendapat pingat gangsa.
Lelaki ada hubungan dengan Iran rancang pembunuhan ahli politik di AS
Seorang lelaki Pakistan yang dipercayai mempunyai hubungan dengan Iran didakwa atas tuduhan merancang pembunuhan seorang ahli politik atau pegawai kerajaan di Amerika Syarikat (AS).
Houthi berjaya jatuhkan dron AS di Yaman
Pergerakan Houthi di Yaman berjaya menjatuhkan dron AS -MQ-9- di wilayah utara Saada di negara itu pada Ahad.
Operasi tebang pokok henti kebakaran merebak di California
Anggota bomba menjalankan operasi menebang pokok di sekitar Taman Mill di California dalam usaha menghentikan kebakaran hutan merebak pada Sabtu.
Menteri Palestin mahu AS desak Israel buka lintasan Rafah
Majed Abu Ramadan berkata tidak ada petunjuk bahawa pihak berkuasa Israel akan berbuat perkara berkenaan dalam masa terdekat.
Pesawat turun mendadak kurang dari 10 saat - Penumpang SIA
Salah sorang penumpang pesawat penerbangan Singapore Airlines (SIA) yang mengalami keadaan gelora udara (turbulent) kuat, Dzafran Azmir memberitahu kejadian berlaku dengan sangat pantas.
Microsoft minta pekerja mereka di China untuk berpindah negara
Antara pilihan yang diberikan termasuk AS, Ireland, Australia, dan New Zealand.
Mayat lelaki ditemui di sempadan Mexico- AS, cetus ketakutan migran lain
Pejabat pendakwa raya di utara Mexico menyiasat kematian seorang migran di sebuah lokasi bersempadan dengan Amerika Syarikat (AS) pada Jumaat.