Honoring Those We’ve Lost

At the end of February 2021, the United States passed a grim milestone—more than half-a-million people in the US have died from COVID-19. Flags on federal buildings were flown at half-staff for five days, and people around the country observed a moment of silence at sunset on the evening that 500,000 losses were surpassed.

We continue to lose thousands of lives a day to the coronavirus, numbers I hope will soon improve as more and more Americans are vaccinated. There are efforts to try to help us visualize the loss. Still, I don’t know how we begin to comprehend the magnitude of the deaths of half a million beloved grandparents, spouses, neighbors, children, aunts, uncles, colleagues.

We must honor those we’ve lost by saving as many lives as possible, keeping up with our commitment to measures that reduce the spread of the virus, continuing to wear masks, and practicing social distancing. Another way to honor the dead is to read their stories, being collected in several places. How are you honoring those we’ve lost? Let me know. Tweet me @TracySansonMD.