A 25-year-old from New Jersey is an induced coma after his treatment was delayed when a lab lost his coronavirus test sample.

Jack Allard has been on a ventilator in an induced coma for six days in a hospital in Edison, New Jersey.

Mr Allard works for the Bank of America and is a former All-American lacrosse player with Bates College.

His mother, Genny Allard, revealed to ABC News that her son fell ill on 13 March, but was unable to get the treatment he needed because the lab lost his sample.

Because the initial sample was lost, Mr Allard did not receive a test result for another five days, which prevented him from trialling a potentially life-saving drug, as the hospital limited the number of opportunities due to a lack of supplies.

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The Sun Journal reported that after Mr Allard's family appealed, they were able to get the drug approved for their son.

Jack Allard is a star lacrosse player (WMTW-TV (YouTube))

Ms Allard criticised the ability for celebrities and athletes to get tests and results before other people: “There’s no reason why NBA players with their sniffles are getting their results before my son who is on a ventilator,” she said.

“My son is healthy, no pre-existing conditions and he’s 25 – this virus is really dangerous and now he is very, very sick.”

Mike Pounds, Mr Allard’s lacrosse coach in high school, told NJ advance media that hearing about his former pupils condition was devastating.

“When we heard he was getting tested for it, you kind of say, ‘OK, well, he’ll be OK, just going to be quarantined and all that.’ But then when you hear he’s on the respirator, he’s in a medically induced coma, the trend is not heading in the right direction,” Mr Pounds said.

“You’re just devastated. So we’re just thankful for the little bit of the feedback. It’s tough. I can’t imagine what mom and dad are going through when they can’t be next to their child.”

Mr Allard’s former coach also revealed that the 25-year-old has always been a fighter.

“He always has been. Back in his high school days, he’s always been one of those guys that wore his emotions on his sleeve and played extremely hard, was extremely competitive. And I’m sure he’s dealing with this the same way.”

Mr Allard’s former Bates College lacrosse Coach, Peter Lasagna told the Sun Journal that his former athlete is moving closer to trialling the drug that could potentially save his life.

“Once he got that positive test they could get back to working on getting him into a clinical trial (for Remdesivir),” he said.

According to a tracking project hosted by Johns Hopkins University, upwards of 69,210 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the US. The death toll has reached at least 1,046.