The US House passed an enormous US$1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package early on Saturday, hailed by Democrats as a critical step in funneling new funding toward vaccinations, overburdened local governments, and millions of families devastated by the pandemic.

Four days after the Covid-19 death toll surpassed 500,000 in the United States, the sprawling measure backed by President Joe Biden and described by Democrats as a moral imperative now heads to the Senate for consideration next week.

The bill, which cleared the House on a party-line vote of 219 to 212, includes a provision to raise the minimum wage to US$15 an hour, but due to a Senate ruling the language will be stripped out of the final version. (AFP)