After Grim Milestone, Flags Lower To Remember Coronavirus Victims

ANNAPOLIS, MD — After the U.S. passed 500,000 coronavirus-related deaths on Monday, President Joe Biden ordered the American flag to half-mast. It will remain lowered until sunset on Friday.

The Maryland flag will also go to half-staff. No flag may fly higher than the United States banner.

The virus has killed 502,227 Americans, Johns Hopkins University reported. Of those victims, 7,580 were Marylanders.

"We mourn each and every one of them, and pray for their families," Gov. Larry Hogan said on Twitter.

Biden called the marker a "grim milestone."

"It's not Democrats and Republicans who are dying from the virus," the president tweeted. "It's our fellow Americans. It's our neighbors, our friends, our mothers, our fathers, our sons, our daughters, husbands, wives. We have to fight this together, as one people, as the United States."

To see when you'll be eligible for the vaccine, head to this website or read Maryland's plan. Use the state's search engine to find the location and registration form for your closest vaccination clinics.

Check Maryland's immunization progress on its numbers dashboard. Follow the state's infection trends on its data tracker. For more information about the coronavirus vaccine, click here.

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