The Biden Administration observed a grim milestone today as the country topped 1 million COVID-19 deaths.In other pandemic news, a senior White House official got some heat about projecting 100 million new cases by next winter, and the country cohosted a second Global COVID-19 Summit to battle the current pandemic and better prepare the world for the next major health threat.Urging vigilanceAs President Joe Biden marked 1 million American lives lost to COVID-19, he acknowledged the pain of their survivors and urged the public to remain vigilant against COVID-19, especially while the nation has supplies of tests, vaccines, and treatments."It's critical that Congress sustain these resources in the coming months," he said in a statement.
Biden also acknowledged the milestone in remarks to the second Global COVID Summit and ordered flags to be flown at half-staff.Biden's comment about resources alludes to a Congressional impasse, with a $10 billion bill to fund the next stage of tests, treatments, and vaccines stalled in the Senate, according to the Washington Post.Controversial cold-weather estimatesIn a related development, a projection that senior administration officials have recently floated that 100 million COVID-19 infections could occur over the fall and winter is raising some scientific skepticism, CNN reported today.Last week, a senior official shared to 100 million prediction at a background briefing, part of a push to get the nation ready for future surges and sway Congress to approve Biden's COVID-19 funding request, according to the Washington Post.Ashish Jha, MD, White House COVID-19 response coordinator, also mentioned the 100 million infection projection during a May 8 interview on ABC's Sunday news show