U.S. tops 200,000 coronavirus deaths
Thousands of American flags were planted at the foot of the Washington Monument to mark the latest grim milestone in the U.S.: 200,000 dead from the coronavirus.
It's a figure once regarded as the maximum number of lives likely to be lost in the U.S. to the virus, but on Tuesday that number came and went, with no end in sight.
[PELOSI] "And these flags are indicative, not only of the lives lost, but of the families left behind and suffering."
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi spoke Tuesday of the high toll the virus had wrought, with a warning for the president:
"This was preventable. Not all of it. But much of it. And what could be lost in the future is preventable too if we embrace science. Science instead of politics."
The disease - which first appeared in Wuhan, China in December, has since spread around the globe, infecting more than 30 million. The death toll in the United States - more than any other country - alone accounts for a fifth of global deaths. And eight months after the first U.S. case, the country is still recording roughly 40,000 daily cases and losing about 800 lives each day to the virus, according to a Reuters tally.
COVID-19 has completely upended every facet of American life. It's changed the way people work, study, gather, shop, and celebrate.
U.S President Donald Trump has faced fierce criticism over his response to the virus. Critics say his repeated downplaying of the threat and severity of COVID-19, refusal to consistently wear a mask and reluctance to take stronger measures allowed the virus to flourish in the United States.
During the pandemic Trump has flouted social distancing guidelines – recently holding an indoor rally packed with his supporters - most not wearing masks.
And on Monday as the death toll approached 200,000 with 6.8 million confirmed U.S. cases, Trump continued to downplay the virus…
[TRUMP] "In some states, thousands of people, nobody young. Below the age of 18, like nobody... it affects virtually nobody. It's an amazing thing. By the way, open your schools."
