Days after the United States reached its latest, grim milestone of 900,000 COVID-19 deaths, driven in part by the omicron variant, the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. rang its bourdon bell in memory of the lives lost.
Watch the bell ringing in the player above.
Cathedral officials have tolled the bell, which is used for funerals, for each 100,000 deaths connected to the coronavirus pandemic. The Rev. Randy Hollerith, the cathedral's dean, said it was the cathedral's way of honoring each person who has died from COVID.
"We just never imagined at the time that we would not only ring it for 200,000; 300,000; 400,000; 500,000," he said. The 900,000 lives lost in the country "is a figure I can't even comprehend," he added.
Although the omicron surge is slowing down in parts of the U.S., the variant's spread is still setting records inside and outside the country. Deaths are topping 2,400 per day on average, according to the latest figures by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The U.S. is expected to hit 1 million deaths later this year.
As it has for past milestones, the cathedral plans to mark the occasion once it happens.
Members of Congress will hold a moment of silence for the 900,000 deaths later Monday evening.
Sustain our coverage of culture, arts and literature.
Canvas supported by
Knight Foundation
Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
The NBA has banned Toronto two-way player Jontay Porter after a league probe found he disclosed confidential information to sports…
The new film "Civil War" is stirring debate and provoking conversation about where a divided nation could lead. It topped…
A movie weapons supervisor has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for the fatal shooting of a cinematographer by…
PEN's response to Israel's invasion of Gaza has been widely criticized by writers who believe the organization has failed to…
Faith Ringgold, an award-winning author and artist who broke down barriers for Black female artists and became famous for her…
Entrepreneur and author Derrick Fennell has been a flight attendant for more than 14 years. Many of his passengers know…
The Italian-born designer became renowned in the early 1970s for his animal prints and a sexy Italian style that remained…
More than 4,000 library book bans were attempted in public and school libraries in 2023, according to the American Library…
The decorated football star who was acquitted of charges he killed his former wife and her friend but wound up…
In the summer of 2022, historic flooding in eastern Kentucky washed away homes and entire communities, claiming more than 40…
Her latest album, the epic "Act ll: Cowboy Carter," hit No. 1 on the Billboard country albums chart, making her…
Narsiso Martinez is an artist whose work celebrates the vital and often invisible labor performed by farmworkers. Martinez's work is…
The conviction stemmed from an altercation last March in which Majors' then-girlfriend Grace Jabbari accused him of attacking her in…
Some people see older buildings as revered artifacts that have stood the test of time, but others see them as…
"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' by Mark Twain is one of the cornerstones of American literature. "James," a new novel…