WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today delivered a speech on the Senate floor to mark the staggering milestone of losing 900,000 Americans to COVID-19, including more than 31,000 Illinoisans. In his remarks, Durbin urged Americans to get vaccinated and boosted to protect themselves and their community against the virus.
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“COVID-19 is now the third-leading cause of death in the United States, behind only heart disease and cancer. At the rate we are going, experts say it is likely that the U.S. will reach one million COVID deaths sometime in just a few weeks. What makes these numbers even more tragic is that so many of these deaths could have been prevented,” said Durbin. “According to new data from the CDC, unvaccinated individuals are 97 times more likely to die of COVID compared to those who have been vaccinated and boosted.”
Durbin went on to mourn the family and friends Americans have lost to the pandemic and offer his condolences.
“May their families and loved ones find peace…We have the tools and knowledge to bring this pandemic under control – if only we all would use them,” Durbin concluded.
