The US surpassed 500k coronavirus deaths yesterday, 13 months after the first domestic case was reported. The White House held a ceremony last night commemorating those who have died, and President Biden ordered American flags on federal properties to be lowered to half staff for the next five days.
More context: The milestone comes amid an ongoing effort to distribute and administer vaccines, with 44M people in the US receiving at least one vaccine dose to date (source). Meanwhile, the 7-day average of new US cases fell to 70k this week, marking a 20% drop over the prior week and the lowest point since October.
The New Paper
This story is from the February 23, 2021 edition of The New Paper – a clear, concise daily briefing that makes fact-first news easy to consume. Try it today.
