Don't call 911 for COVID tests

A surge of COVID-19 cases primarily related to the omicron variant is putting additional pressure on hospitals, emergency rooms, urgent care centers and 911 emergency medical services systems, North Mason Regional Fire Authority Chief Beau Bakken told the Shelton-Mason County Journal in an email statement Friday.

“Here at the NMRFA we are experiencing a lot of 911 calls for mild to moderate symptoms that are related to a COVID infection,” Bakken wrote. “Mild to moderate symptoms includes dehydration, nausea, sore throat, and fatigue and these symptoms can have patients feeling miserable. These symptoms will subside over the course of a few days. We are also getting calls for individuals who think that they might have COVID and who are seeking a COVID test and/or an evaluation for COVID.”

Bakken wrote that the department doesn’t want to dissuade anyone from calling 911 if needed and that it will “absolutely respond to all calls for 911 assistance,” but it is not currently transporting nonimmunocompromised people with only mild-to-moderate symptoms.

“Mild and moderate symptoms are the body’s natural way of fighting off an infection and the body needs to run that natural course to fight off an infection. This generally will last a couple days,” Bakken wrote. “We also encourage patients experiencing only mild to moderate symptoms to stay away from emergency rooms and local hospitals unless severe symptoms develop. Severe symptoms include breathing difficulty and altered level of consciousness.”

Bakken also wrote that NMRFA has seen a surge of calls from people seeking COVID tests and evalutions due to the recent difficulty of obtaining testing.

“We know that COVID testing is becoming more and more difficult to obtain, but the 911 systems does not have any type of access to COVID testing and should not be used for receiving a COVID test,” Bakken wrote.

Author Bio

Justin Johnson, Editor

Shelton-Mason County Journal & Belfair Herald
Email: [email protected]