Fauci warns USA will be badly hit by virus

Dr Anthony Fauci, the top medical expert in the US, has warned that the country will be hit badly by the coronavirus as it is facing a dangerous surge in new cases.

The warning came as Arizona, Texas and Nevada each reported a record number of daily cases, he said.

Dr Anthony Fauci told a House committee there could be a COVID-19 vaccine later this year or early in 2021, but warned that the next few weeks will be critical to tamping down coronavirus hot spots around the country.

Fauci and other top health officials also said they have not been asked to slow down testing for coronavirus, a controversial issue after President Donald Trump said last weekend he had asked them to do just that because it was uncovering too many infections. Trump said earlier in the day that he was not kidding.

"We will be doing more testing," Fauci, the government's top infectious disease expert, told a House committee on Tuesday.

Fauci is testifying before a House committee - along with the heads of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, and a top official at the Department of Health and Human Services.

Dhaka/Mukul