2 Companies on Track to Manufacture Millions of Coronavirus Tests

Roche Diagnostics Corporation CEO Matthew Sause delivers remarks during a news conference in which U.S. President Donald Trump announced the declaration of a national emergency in reaction to the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic in the Rose Garden at the White House March 13, 2020 in Washington. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Two of the first companies to receive federal clearance for their tests for the Wuhan coronavirus are on track to produce millions of kits as early as April.

The Food and Drug Administration issued emergency authorizations this week for COVID-19 test kits by Roche, a Swiss pharmaceutical giant, and Thermo Fisher, a U.S.-based scientific instrument maker.