Joe Biden orders flags at half mast to mark 5 lakh US Covid deaths; Britain to ease lockdown Updated Feb 22, 2021 | 23:59 IST US President Joe Biden has made the COVID-19 pandemic his top priority, simultaneously pushing an aggressive vaccine rollout and making frequent, public shows of empathy. US President Joe Biden  |  Photo Credit: AP Washington: US President Joe Biden will lead a remembrance ceremony Monday to mark the dark milestone of 500,000 American Covid-19 deaths, but plans for easing the lockdown in Britain and a surge in vaccinations worldwide prompted growing optimism. With the US death toll on the brink of hitting half a million -- the highest impact on any country -- Biden ordered flags on federal government buildings to be flown at half mast for five days.