through the darkness. i hope you know that you, the american people, have been part of one of the most remarkable achievements in american history. but in this moment of joy, we know that this day falls hard on all of those who have lost a loved one. as i have told you before, each day, i carry a card in my pocket with my schedule on it. on the back of that schedule, on that cord, i have the number of americans who have lost their lives to covid, the precise number. as of tonight, that number is 603,018 people have lost their lives. they are husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, grandparents, friends, neighbors, coworkers.