Private US health insurers agreed to extend coronavirus treatment coverage in all of their plans and waive co-payment fees for testing, Vice-President Mike Pence said on Tuesday, as the White House came under growing pressure to help those hurt by the outbreak.

The number of cases of the highly contagious respiratory illness caused by the virus has risen steadily in the US this week, stoking concerns of a health and economic crisis that could pummel workers and companies.

US coronavirus cases have climbed to 791 and there have been 27 deaths, most of them in Washington state, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. That tally did not include a death reported in New Jersey on Tuesday, the state’s first.

“We want the American people to know that they are covered with private insurance, they are covered with Medicare and Medicaid,” Pence said at a White House meeting with health executives, referring to the government-funded programmes for Americans over age 65 and the poor.

Pence did not mention the millions of uninsured Americans.

The Vice-President, who is heading the government’s response to the outbreak, said more than 1 million test kits for the coronavirus were in the field and that 4 million more were going out this week.

Health officials in New York state and other parts of the US have complained about a shortage of testing capacity.

The White House also has come under attack for a lack of epidemic preparation by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and early problems with their coronavirus test kits that delayed confirmation of results.