US death toll from COVID-19 crosses one million: White House

The United States has crossed the threshold of one million deaths from COVID-19, the White House said on Thursday, as cities like New York try to turn the page on the pandemic despite threats of another surge.

“Today, we mark a tragic milestone: one million American lives lost to COVID-19,” President Joe Biden said in a statement that acknowledged the “unrelenting” pain of those who had lost loved ones during the pandemic.

He called on residents to “remain vigilant against this pandemic” and said it was “critical” for Congress to fund resources like testing, vaccines and treatments.

For many, the toll of more than one million deaths was difficult to comprehend.

“It’s unfathomable,” Diana Berrent, one of the first people in New York state to catch COVID-19, said of the toll that far exceeds epidemiologists’ worst predictions made at the outbreak of the crisis in spring 2020.

Then, New York City was the virus epicenter. Hospitals and morgues overflowed and the sound of ambulance sirens rang down empty streets as then-president Donald Trump responded chaotically in Washington.

Two years on, and life in the Big Apple is largely back to normal as residents attempt to put the collective trauma of the virus that has killed 40,000 New Yorkers behind them.

Broadway stage lights are once again illuminated, tourists are back riding horse carriages in Central Park, yellow taxis clog main avenues and bars in business districts hum with post-work chatter.

“Without a doubt you feel the energy of the people that are on the streets. It’s been a long time coming,” Alfred Cerullo, president of a business improvement group in Midtown Manhattan, told AFP.

New York’s rebound has been aided by its high inoculation numbers – about 88 percent of adults are fully vaccinated, a rate that was boosted by mandates, including for indoor activities like dining.