NEW YORK: The United States reached the grim milestone of 600,000 Covid deaths on Tuesday, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.

With the national case count topping 33.4 million, the death toll across the U.S rose to 600,012, according to the CSSE data.

Hundreds continue to die each day. President Joe Biden is warning that the fight isn't over and is urging more Americans to get vaccinated as contagious variants spread.

It's been 16 months since the first known deaths from the virus in the United Sttes. Within four months starting early March last year, 100,000 perished. Fall and winter were brutal, taking the toll to 400,000 before Biden took charge as president. The last 200,000 deaths have come at a much slower pace, riding on strong vaccination numbers.

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), by now, more than 50 percent of Americans have got at least one shot of the Covid-19 vaccine and over 40 percent are fully vaccinated. Crowds are surging at tourist hotspots, businesses are reopening with a burst of confidence, the malls are packed, people are shaking hands again.

Biden was hoping to get at least 70 percent of the population partially vaccinated by July 4 and the current numbers are just short of 65 percent. The US is currently delivering 1 million jabs per day, dropping off the highs and the urgency of 3 million-plus vaccines per day in early Spring.

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