In March , less than 500,000 tests had been performed due to the 2020 coronavirus pandemic in the US , and by April over 1,200,000 .
By the start of March , the government began to heighten its response ; the Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) began allowing public health agencies , hospitals , and private companies to develop and administer tests , and loosened its requirements to allow anyone with a doctor 's order to be tested .
2020 coronavirus pandemic in the United States