By Yashwant Raj

Washington, May 12 (IANS): US President Joe Biden called upon Americans to continue to remain vigilant against the Covid-19 pandemic as the nation is poised to cross a grim milestone of 1 million deaths.

"Today, we mark a tragic milestone: one million American lives lost to Covid-19," the American President said in a statement Thursday, as he co-hosted a virtual global summit on combating the pandemic, with Germany, Indonesia, Senegal and Belize.

The United States has not crossed that mark yet. The toll stands at 995,747, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the top US government health agency that keeps an official track of Covid-19 numbers in the US.

Globally 6.2 million people have died due to Covid-19, according to WHO.

"One million empty chairs around the dinner table. Each an irreplaceable loss. Each leaving behind a family, a community, and a nation forever changed because of this pandemic," Biden went on to say, adding: "To heal, we must remember. We must remain vigilant against this pandemic and do everything we can to save as many lives as possible, as we have with more testing, vaccines, and treatments than ever before."

Biden has ordered flags lowered to half-staff.

The US President called for a renewed commitment by all nations to combat the pandemic.

"This summit is an opportunity to renew our efforts to keep our foot on the gas when it comes to getting this pandemic under control and preventing future health crises," he said.