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.

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