US struggles with testing as it passes 3 million COVID-19 cases

The United States on Wednesday passed the three million mark in confirmed coronavirus cases, according to a Johns Hopkins University tally, as the pandemic surges throughout much of the country, presenting challenges in testing.

Four months into the US coronavirus outbreak, Americans confronted with an alarming resurgence of the scourge are facing long lines at testing sites and going a week or more without receiving a diagnosis. Some sites are running out of kits even as testing is ramped up.

Labs are reporting shortages of materials and do not have enough workers to process the tests, leading to severe backups that could worsen as economies reopen and new infections emerge.