Biden to mark 1 million American dead from coronavirus Thursday

[May 12, 2022]  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday plans to commemorate the death of 1 million Americans from COVID-19 by issuing a proclamation ordering flags to be flown at half-staff, the White House said.

The President will also make a statement at 5 a.m. about the grim milestone and reference it in pre-recorded remarks to kick off the second global COVID Summit at approximately 9 a.m., the White House added.

The United States on Wednesday recorded more than 1 million COVID-19 deaths, according to a Reuters tally, crossing a once-unthinkable milestone about two years after the first cases upended everyday life.

U.S. President Joe Biden arrives at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, U.S. May 11, 2022. REUTERS/Tom Brenner/File Photo

The 1 million mark represents more than the entire population of San Francisco or Seattle.

(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt, Writing by Alexandra Alper; Editing by Bradley Perrett)

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