The US has recorded the most deaths and most infections anywhere in the world and is still reporting tens of thousands of new cases a day. On Monday, US President Donald Trump said the federal government would this week start sending out millions of rapid tests to states, and called on governors to place a priority on testing school children – though governors can use them as they choose.

Officials said 6.5 million tests will go out this week and a total of 100 million in the weeks to come. Numbers of tests per state are based on population. The US recently agreed to buy 150 million rapid tests from Abbott Laboratories in a $750 million (£583m) deal .

Trump's announcement comes just weeks before the US presidential election in November. The US president has faced strong criticism for how he has handled the pandemic, and is currently trailing Democratic challenger Joe Biden in national polls. The first presidential debate between the candidates is on Tuesday.