Laboratories across the U.S. are buckling under a surge of coronavirus tests, creating long processing delays that experts say are actually undercutting the pandemic response. The bottlenecks are creating problems for workers kept off the job while awaiting results, nursing homes struggling to keep the virus out and for the labs themselves, dealing with a crushing workload. That comes as cases are rising in most U.S. states, with particular hot spots developing across the South and West. Worldwide, the count of people infected with the coronavirus passed a staggering 15 million people, with nearly 618,000 killed by the pandemic.

The AP plans the following coverage today of the virus outbreak. For up-to-the minute information, visit AP Newsroom’s coverage hub Find AP Virus Alerts here

ONLY ON AP:

VIRUS OUTBREAK-MIGRANT CHILDREN-HOTELS: The Trump administration is detaining immigrant children as young as 1 in hotels before deporting them to their home countries. Documents obtained by The Associated Press show a private contractor hired by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is taking children to three Hampton Inns in Arizona and Texas under restrictive border policies implemented during the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 1200 words, photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-IMMIGRATION DETENTION: A federal judge has declined to order the release of roughly 300 migrant parents and children held in U.S. family detention centers.

RACING FOR A REMEDY-SILENT STALKER: One of the great mysteries of the coronavirus is how quickly it rocketed around the world. How major a role seemingly healthy people play in swelling the ranks of those infected remains unanswered — and at the top of the scientific agenda. SENT: 1930 words photos. An 1190-word abridged also has been sent.

SENT/DEVELOPING:

VIRUS OUTBREAK: Laboratories across the U.S. are buckling under a surge of coronavirus tests, creating long processing delays that experts say are actually undercutting the pandemic response. SENT; developing. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE LATEST.

AP POLL-VIRUS OUTBREAK-SCHOOLS: Few Americans believe schools should return to normal operations this fall, a new Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs polls finds, says, even as President Donald Trump insists that’s what parents and students want. SENT: 980 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-RESTAURANTS-ECONOMIC IMPACT: America’s restaurants helped revive the U.S. economy after the Great Recession. This time? Don’t count on it. SENT: 1140 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-TROUBLED AID: Some of the world’s largest government donors of humanitarian aid are buckling under the strain of the COVID-19 pandemic. SENT: 960 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-LEBANON-HOSPITALS IN CRISIS: Lebanon’s hospitals are cracking under the country’s financial crisis, just as the nation faces a surge in coronavirus cases. SENT: 1040 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-LEAVING NEW YORK: New Yorkers anxious after weathering the worst of the coronavirus pandemic are fueling a boom in home sales and rentals around the picturesque towns and wooded hills to the north. SENT: 880 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-VACCINES: Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar says the U.S. has signed a contract with Pfizer for delivery in December of the first 100 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine the pharmaceutical company is working to develop. SENT; developing.

FINANCIAL MARKETS: Stocks closed with solid gains on Wall Street Wednesday but only after a choppy day of trading that pulled indexes temporarily into the red. SENT: 840 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-CALIFORNIA: California’s confirmed coronavirus cases have topped 409,000, surpassing New York for most in the nation. John’s Hopkins University data showed Wednesday that California now has about 1,200 more cases than New York. SENT; developing.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-IOWA MEAT PLANT: One of the first coronavirus outbreaks at an Iowa meatpacking plant was more severe than previously known, with over twice as many workers becoming infected than the Iowa Department of Public Health publicly confirmed. SENT: 770 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-NATION'S CAPITAL: Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser says she’ll issue an executive order making face masks mandatory outside the home. SENT; developing.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-CONGRESS: Despite disarray in the Republican ranks, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is pushing ahead on the next COVID-19 aid package. He’s preparing to present a GOP draft soon. SENT: 760 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-PRISON CALLS: Incarcerated people and their families said they are closely watching congressional debates about the next COVID-19 relief bill for proposed legislation that would drastically push down the cost of prison and jail phone calls. SENT: 560 words, photos

VIRUS OUTBREAK-ASIA: Australia’s hard-hit Victoria state has reported a record 484 new COVID-19 cases, and health authorities warned that numbers could continue to rise. SENT: 970 words, photos.

ALSO:

VIRUS OUTBREAK-UNITED AIRLINES: An increase in air travel has stalled, but United Airlines says it will resume once the current resurgence in new coronavirus cases is over. But even then, the airline says revenue will hover at around 50% of normal until there is a vaccine for COVID-19. SENT: 530 words, photos.

TOKYO PANDEMIC: The head of the Tokyo Olympics says the delayed games could not be held next year if conditions caused by the coronavirus pandemic remain as they are. But Yoshiro Mori says he expects conditions to improve and is hopeful a COVID-19 vaccine will be developed soon. SENT: 360 words, photos.

INTERACTIVES/GRAPHICS:

-US cases county-by-county. Embed code can be found in Coverage Plan. A static graphic also will be available in AP Newsroom.

-State trends (table): Trends in new cases and positivity rates for each U.S. state over the past 14 days.

-Case count (table): Searchable table of confirmed cases, including recoveries and deaths, by country, updated each hour.

-Interactive breakdown of unemployment filings by state with time scale for each (going back as far as 2000)

-Virus Europe Spread (map): An auto updating European map tracking the total confirmed cases, recoveries and deaths from coronavirus.

Additional graphics and interactives include:

- Flattening the Coronavirus Curve (Chart): Chart compares the cumulative cases over time in some of the hardest hit countries by coronavirus.

-Virus Global Spread (table): Table of countries which have confirmed cases of the virus. Table also includes when the virus was initially reported and the number of deaths by country.

-Virus Global Spread (Map): Map of countries which have confirmed cases of the virus. Map also includes when the virus was initially reported and the number of deaths by country.

-Virus US State Map: State by state count of confirmed cases in the U.S.

-Virus US State Table: Table tracks the number of cases, recoveries and deaths for the US including its territories.

-Status of Cases Worldwide: Auto-updating once a day, this chart tracks the levels of active cases and deaths from COVID-19 around the world over time.

PHOTOS:

AP photos have moved from India, China, Nepal, South Korea, Italy, Hong Kong, Serbia, Japan, various US, Latin America locations.

VIDEO:

AP video has moved from Japan, China, Lebanon, Iraq, Nepal, various Europe, US, Latin America locations.