Need COVID test? Don’t call 911 or go to emergency room, officials urge as cases surge
As coronavirus cases surge nationwide, officials across the country urge not to call 911 or go to the emergency room for a COVID-19 test.
Do so only for true emergencies such as when feeling severely sick.
“Ambulances do not provide testing for COVID-19, and patients are not transported to a hospital to be tested upon request,” the New York City Fire Department wrote Dec. 29 on Twitter addressing New Yorkers in a message also shared in Spanish and Chinese.
“Transport decisions are made based on medical needs. Please only call 911 during a real emergency.”
For those who aren’t severely ill, an emergency call should be avoided to allow first responders to help people most in need, according to FDNY.
Similar public messages have been issued in several states, including Florida, Georgia, Maryland and North Carolina as over 50 million positive coronavirus cases have been reported in the U.S. since the start of the pandemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In northern Florida, Madison County Memorial Hospital’s emergency room is experiencing a “tremendous strain,” it said in a Dec. 30 Facebook post.
“Over the holiday, our emergency rooms have become inundated with patients with mild or no symptoms seeking #COVID19 tests,” the hospital wrote.
This has delayed “patients with emergencies from receiving care needed.”
Anyone experiencing severe symptoms such as shortness of breath or chest pain — both potential COVID-19 symptoms or signs of other critical illnesses — should call 911 or go to the emergency room, the hospital said.
Other severe symptoms that are considered an emergency are high fever or a low oxygen level, according to FDNY.
“We urge you – if you have mild or no COVID-19 symptoms, please avoid the ER,” Madison County Memorial Hospital said, adding advice to the community that can apply nationwide.
The hospital suggests using local COVID-19 testing avenues, such as mail-in at home tests, a visit to a primary care provider or community testing centers and pharmacies.
Meanwhile, firefighters in Baltimore, similarly to New York City, are also urging the public to consider carefully whether a 911 call is needed, WJZ reported.
The president of the Baltimore County Professional Fire Fighters & Paramedics, John Sibiga, told the outlet the hospital is not a primary care physician or a place for COVID-19 testing, while adding that 911 should only be called during emergencies.
Baltimore County’s firefighters are understaffed, with 10% quarantining due to an exposure or a positive COVID-19 test, according to WJZ.
In Georgia, the state’s health department told people in a Dec. 29 news release that to keep hospital emergency rooms open to treat those most in need, don’t arrive at the hospital for a COVID-19 test — “unless they are experiencing severe COVID-19 symptoms requiring urgent medical attention.”
“Asymptomatic individuals or individuals with mild symptoms should find testing sites other than hospital emergency departments,” the release added and shared links to testing sites.
In southern Florida, there is a surge of pediatric patients arriving at hospitals in particular, with few showing severe symptoms.
“Emphatically, our message is that our pediatric emergency departments are not testing sites,” Dr. Ron Ford, chief medical officer for Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood, said.
“It’s actually not a place you want to come right now just to have a test if you don’t need medical care.”
In Mecklenburg, North Carolina, a shortage in COVID-19 tests has also caused “overwhelmed” emergency rooms.
Both the coronavirus omicron and delta variants continue to spread in the U.S., with the omicron variant accounting for 58.6% of infections and delta making 41.1% of infections between Dec. 19 and Dec. 25, according to CDC data estimates. Just .2% of positive cases were attributed to “other.”
If you need a COVID-19 test, you can search for a testing site near you using the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ website here.
This story was originally published December 30, 2021 at 4:45 PM with the headline "Need COVID test? Don’t call 911 or go to emergency room, officials urge as cases surge."
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