{"id":19225,"date":"2021-12-28T20:58:05","date_gmt":"2021-12-29T01:58:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/?p=19225"},"modified":"2021-12-28T20:58:15","modified_gmt":"2021-12-29T01:58:15","slug":"all-ochd-covid-testing-booked-for-wednesday-hospitals-say-to-avoid-ers-without-symptoms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/2021\/12\/all-ochd-covid-testing-booked-for-wednesday-hospitals-say-to-avoid-ers-without-symptoms\/","title":{"rendered":"All OCHD Covid Testing Booked for Wednesday, Hospitals Say to Avoid ERs Without Symptoms"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Coronavirus<\/a>

Coronavirus (Image: CDC)<\/p><\/div>\n

Amidst the spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus pandemic, appointments for testing have been packed \u2013 with some waiting hours to receive a test \u2013 with the Ocean County Health Department reporting no available slots for testing Wednesday.<\/p>\n

The county health department hosts testing at Ocean County College certain days per week, and until recently demand had been relatively minimal. The next available slot for a test at the college was Jan. 5, 2022, the agency\u2019s website reported.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, hospitals were urging local residents to avoid going to the emergency room if they are not experiencing any serious symptoms of the virus. On Monday, many hospital emergency departments were on divert status \u2013 not particularly unusual, but unusual in the number of hospitals experiencing a surge at the same time.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe emergency room should not be your primary destination if you are looking for a COVID test and have mild to moderate symptoms,\u201d Hackensack-Meridian Health said in a statement. The company urged people to go to an emergency room if they experience symptoms that warrant immediate medical attention, including:<\/p>\n