Baltimore, Maryland - The US reached another grim milestone in the coronavirus pandemic, as 700,000 have now died since the start of the crisis, according to national data compiled by Johns Hopkins University (JHU).

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.

Biden urged those who are still unvaccinated not to hesitate.

"If you haven’t already, please get vaccinated. It can save your life and the lives of those you love," he pleaded.

"It will help us beat Covid-19 and move forward, together, as one nation."

The number of deaths in the United States had passed the 600,000 mark in mid-June. The Delta variant has hit hard, especially in the South. However, 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% of the nation's 330 million people are fully vaccinated.

Biden recently introduced an extensive vaccine mandate covering federal and even some private employees..

Well over a thousand people in the US are dying every day as a result of a coronavirus infection, although this number is starting to go down again.