Arizona still has so few coronavirus test kits that state officials are warning that screening could end, Rep. Greg Stanton said in a Thursday letter to Vice President Mike Pence.

Stanton, a freshman Democrat from Arizona, continued to take the Trump administration to task, saying it continued to "grossly mismanage" the crisis and had "crippled" doctors and nurses with a lack of needed supplies.

"The lack of test kits continues to have real consequences across the country, including in Arizona," Stanton wrote. "Just yesterday, the Arizona Department of Health Services Director informed doctors across the state that they are discouraged from testing individuals for COVID-19 because there are ‘not enough available supplies to meet testing demand.’ This is a direct result of this Administration’s failures."

State officials said testing "may be slowed or even halted due to the uncertainty that supplies would be replenished," Stanton continued.

A Pence spokeswoman referred The Arizona Republic's inquiries to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA could not be immediately reached for comment.

On Feb. 28, Stanton wrote to Pence, whom President Donald Trump named to head the nation's response to the coronavirus, to complain that Arizona had received test kits that were defective. He asked for answers to a series of issues stemming from that.

On Thursday, Stanton noted that he still had not heard from the vice president.

Stanton wrote that health officials have said doctors "should treat those with respiratory conditions as if they have coronavirus, regardless if they test positive."

That leaves everyone still "in the dark" about the spread of the virus, he said.

Reach the reporter Ronald J. Hansen at ronald.hansen@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-4493. Follow him on Twitter @ronaldjhansen.

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