As the nation's death toll from the coronavirus climbs to nearly 400,000 the Washington National Cathedral is preparing to mark the grim milestone with a ceremony Tuesday.
The Cathedral will toll the Bourdon Bell 400 times Tuesday beginning at 5:30 p.m. - once for every thousand lives lost.
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Anyone visiting the Cathedral grounds must wear masks and social distance. There will be no access to the inside of the Cathedral, officials say.
Coronavirus deaths are rising in nearly two-thirds of American states as a winter surge continues and amid warnings that a new, highly contagious variant is taking hold.
An effort is underway to get Americans vaccinated, but the campaign is off to an uneven start. According to the latest federal data, about 31 million doses of vaccine have been distributed, but fewer than 11 million people have received at least one dose.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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