Dhaka, Jan. 20 -- US President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday led a national memorial observance on the eve of his inauguration to honour the 400,000 Americans who have perished from COVID-19 during the 11 months since the novel coronavirus claimed its first US life.

The sundown commemoration came hours before US President Donald Trump was due to leave the White House for the last time and hand over a country racked by the greatest public health crisis in a century, economic devastation and violent political upheaval, reports Reuters.

Ceremonies spearheaded by Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris from the base of the Lincoln Memorial marked the federal government's first official nod to the staggering death toll from the pandemic. ...