With California bracing for an unprecedented number of hospitalisations amid a staggering surge in coronavirus infections, health officials have pleaded with residents to reserve emergency rooms (ERs) for true emergencies and not run to them in a search for scarce virus tests.
Some people with mild or even no coronavirus symptoms are showing up in ERs sometimes only to get a negative test result so they can attend social events. The trend is placing additional pressure on already-taxed emergency rooms struggling with a rise in coronavirus hospitalisations and patients with other illnesses, some of whom deferred seeking care during the pandemic and are now face more severe health issues.
Read more from AP here.
