U.S. will be able to test 400,000 people for coronavirus by week's end: officials

Passengers are pictured on a Washington State Ferry which released a statement asking riders to consider staying in their vehicles when driving onboard and other steps to minimize coronavirus exposure in Seattle, Washington, U.S. March 4, 2020. REUTERS/Jason Redmond

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. health officials said on Thursday they expect to be able to get enough coronavirus tests to public laboratories this week to test about 400,000 people, and acknowledged the challenge for doctors seeking to get patients screened for the disease.

Officials expect to ship additional test kits to cover between 1.5 and 1.7 million people by the end of next week, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told reporters.