As the U.S. nears 1 million COVID-19 deaths, U.S. President Joe Biden said Thursday that those who died left behind “a family, a community, and a nation forever changed because of this pandemic.

Biden said in a statement that Congress needs to continue funding for testing, vaccines and treatments, and said the nation “must remain vigilant.”

"To those who are grieving, and asking yourself how will you go on without him or what will you do without her, I understand," Biden said. "I know the pain of that black hole in your heart. It is unrelenting. But I also know the ones you love are never truly gone. They will always be with you."

The United States has recorded about 82 million total COVID cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It has recorded nearly 999,000 deaths, according to John Hopkins University data.

New cases and hospitalizations have been rising in recent weeks, but the number of deaths has stayed relatively low, at around 300 per day, down from more than 3,000 per day in February of this year.

Source: Voice of America