I know what it’s like to not be there when it happens," said Biden, who has long addressed grief more powerfully than perhaps any other American public figure.
"I know what it’s like when you are there, holding their hands, as they look in your eye and they slip away.
In one of his many symbolic breaks with his predecessor, Biden has not shied away from offering remembrances for the lives lost to the virus.
The COVID-19 death total in the United States had just crossed 400,000 when Biden took the oath of office.
Outside of perfunctory tweets marking the milestones of 100,000 and 200,000 deaths, Trump oversaw no moment of national mourning, no memorial service.