US COVID-19 deaths exceed World War II military toll

Washington, Jan 21: The number of US Covid-19 deaths on Wednesday surpassed the country's toll of military fatalities in World War II, according to the reports.

So far 4,05,400 people have died from coronavirus which has surpassed the total number of combat and non-combat deaths in World War II i.e. 4,05,399, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Meanwhile, the newly-elected President Joe Biden begins his term. "We need all our strength to persevere through this dark winter. We are entering what may be the toughest and deadliest period of the virus," Biden said in his inaugural speech.

Biden also has said that his response to the pandemic will be rooted in evidence-based solutions, unlike his predecessor Donald Trump.

Those who have died were in focus on Tuesday evening as President-elect Joe Biden, one day ahead of his inauguration in the nation's capital, attended a lighting ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial's reflecting pool to honor Covid-19 victims.

"To heal, we must remember," Biden said. "And it's hard sometimes to remember, but that's how we heal. It's important to do that as a nation."

The US accounts for four percent of the world's population but around 20 percent of its Covid-19 deaths.

Meanwhile, more than 10.5 million people have received at least the first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, about 1.6 million of whom have received a second dose, according to CDC data last updated on Friday.