More than 700,000 people in the United States have died after being infected with the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic, according to national data compiled by Johns Hopkins University (JHU).
US President Joe Biden spoke of a "painful milestone" in remarks released by the White House on Saturday.
"We must not become numb to the sorrow. On this day, and every day, we remember all those we have lost to this pandemic and we pray for their loved ones left behind who are missing a piece of their soul," Biden said.
The US president urged those who are still unvaccinated to get inoculated.
"If you haven’t already, please get vaccinated. It can save your life and the lives of those you love," Biden asserted.
"It will help us beat Covid-19 and move forward, together, as one nation," he added.
In mid-June, the number of deaths in the United States had passed the 600,000 mark.
Delta variant
The country had been hit very hard by the Delta variant - especially in the southern US states. The number of cases is slowly falling again at the moment.
The country's vaccination campaign got off to a good start in the United States, but is now making slow progress.
So far, 55.7 per cent of the approximately 330 million people in the United States are fully vaccinated.
Biden had recently mandated extensive compulsory vaccination for employees.
Well more than a thousand people in the USA currently die every day as a result of a coronavirus infection. However, this number is now also starting to decline again.
