The "tragic milestone." President Joe Biden on Thursday directed flags on government buildings to be flown at half-staff for five days, remembering the 1 million American who lost their lives to COVID-19, calling each death an "irreplaceable loss." Though COVID-19 counts vary, the White House uses data gathered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Johns Hopkins University, which showed deaths approaching the 1 million mark Thursday morning. Read more from USA TODAY about how families across the U.S. remember their loved ones who died from COVID-19. Link in bio. 📸: @apnews