COVID-19 'moment of silence' held on Capitol steps

House and Senate leaders led a moment of silence on the steps of the U.S. Capitol to remember the 500,000 U.S. lives lost to the coronavirus pandemic. Afterward lawmakers joined in singing "America the Beautiful."

The virus has reached into all corners of the country and communities of every size. At the same time, many families are left to cope in isolation, unable even to hold funerals. Experts warn that over 90,000 more deaths are likely in the coming months, despite the vaccination campaign. According to data through Feb. 21 from Johns Hopkins University, the seven-day rolling average for daily new cases in the U.S. fell over the past two weeks, from roughly 117,222 on Feb. 7 to 69,986 on Feb. 21.

Over the same period, the seven-day rolling average for daily new deaths also fell from 2,813 on Feb. 7 to 1,872 on Feb. 21 More than 44 million Americans have received at least one dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, and about 1.4 million per day received either a first or second dose over the past seven days, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Although average daily deaths and cases have been falling, some experts say not enough Americans have been inoculated for the vaccine to be the reason. The decline instead is attributed to the passing of the holidays, more people staying indoors during the winter and better adherence to mask rules and social distancing.

(Image Credit: AP)