US Covid death toll won't be forgotten, Fauci warns | First Thing

As the US approaches 500,000 coronavirus deaths, Fauci said people would be talking about the grim milestone decades from now. Plus, will Covid vaccines become diplomatic bargaining chips?

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Good morning.

As the US approaches the grim milestone of half a million Covid-19 deaths, Dr Anthony Fauci, the country's top infectious diseases expert, lamented the historic" and really horrible" death toll. Speaking on CNN's State of the Union show on Sunday, Fauci said decades from now people would be talking about this terribly historic milestone in the history of this country". He also said it was possible that Americans would be wearing masks into 2022. Although rates of infection are dropping steadily, the US recorded 13,347 deaths and more than 500,000 new cases of coronavirus in the past week.