Dr. Anthony Fauci, who leads the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, discussed testing availability in testimony before Congress on Thursday: “The idea of anybody getting it easily the way people in other countries are doing it, we are not set up for that. Do I think we should be? Yes. But we are not.”

The details: Worst-case projections based on C.D.C. scenarios suggest that — if no action were taken to slow transmission — 200,000 to 1.7 million people could die in the U.S. Those numbers don’t account for interventions already underway.

Closer look: The virus has overloaded hospitals in northern Italy, offering a glimpse of what countries face if they cannot slow the contagion.

News analysis: Beyond travel limits and wash-your-hands reminders, President Trump has left it to others to set the course in combating the pandemic, our White House reporters write. “If I need to do something, I’ll do it,” Mr. Trump said on Thursday. “Compared to other places, we are in really good shape.”

“The Daily”: Today’s episode is about how best to navigate the pandemic.

A changed race for the White House

Amid deepening uncertainty over the coronavirus and growing economic anxiety, the presidential campaign has become “a real-time, life-or-death test of competency and leadership,” our political reporters write.

On Thursday, both former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders criticized President Trump’s handling of the outbreak and offered plans of their own. A spokesman for the Trump campaign accused the Democratic candidates of politicizing a crisis.