'This virus came right in and took two loved ones': one family's Covid grief

Erika Martinez lost her father and brother within eight hours, one of countless tales of bereavement as US deaths hit 500,000

In early February, Erika Martinez of Fresno, California, lost her father, Thomas Martinez, 57, and her 33-year-old brother Andrew Martinez Garcia, to Covid-19 within 24 hours of one another.

Erika Martinez first brought her father to the hospital on 2 February, after he started feeling ill and wanted to make sure he was OK as he suffered from an underlying heart condition. He was diagnosed with Covid-19.