White House claims there are enough tests to start Trump's 'phase 1' - only 1% of country has been tested

President eager to 'reopen' US but state officials report testing shortfalls while Democrats blast administartion's failure to expand tests as 'dereliction of duty'

Despite the White House saying that anyone who wanted a coronavirus test could get one, only 1 per cent of the US has been tested in recent weeks, while officials across the US have reported significant shortages in testing abilities as Donald Trump grows impatient to "reopen" the economy.

Vice President Mike Pence claimed on Friday that the US has enough tests for states to begin "phase one" of the president's reopening guidelines, but the plan does not have a national testing strategy. Its criteria says states should have a "downward trajectory" in cases and flu-like symptoms over a two-week period.

The president boasted that the US has tested more than 3.7 million Americans, from a population of more than 320 million people, and has passed the buck to governors who will be "responsible for testing" under the White House plans to reopen states.

He also blamed "partisan" voices are spreading misinformation about testing abilities, but Democrat and Republican officials are reporting testing issues, and public health officials have warned that lack of widespread testing and contact tracing could open a second and third wave of infections.

On 6 March, the president said that "anyone" who wanted to get a test could get one. By then, the US had tested fewer than 20,000 people.

He also has repeatedly blamed his predecessor Barack Obama and his administration, though it was Mr Trump's administration that was responsible for the developing the tests.

Recently, he has said that widespread testing isn't necessary for "vast" parts of the country that have seen smaller outbreaks compared to some larger metropolitan areas.

He also has claimed that the federal government isn't responsible for "standing on street corners" to perform tests.

Admiral Brett Giroir says the US would need to perform 4.5 million tests a month to meet the criteria for a "phase one" of the White House plan to begin reopening states.

On Friday, Senate Democrats joined a call with the vice president, during which he reportedly failed to answer why testing is falling short across the US while the White House is pushing for states to "reopen"

Maine Senator Angus King told Politico "I have never been so mad about a phone call in my life" and called the federal government's inability to set up widespread testing a "dereliction of duty."

Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren told the Boston Globe that the administration "doesn't even have a target for the number of tests we need to be able to manage this health care crisis."

"It's beyond unbelievable," she said.

Dr Anthony Fauci clarified that simply diagnosing Americans "isn't everything" and stressed that one negative test doesn't mean that person can't be infected again.

Dr Fauci said that the federal government had struggled to expand testing because of its reluctance to engage the "private sector, who clearly has the capability of making and providing tests at the level that we will need them."

The US Food and Drug Administration had reportedly been told by the administration in February to halt any efforts to work with companies on building test capacity.