Don't go to the ER for COVID-19 testing, Austin hospitals beg

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- As many struggle to find COVID-19 testing in Austin, local hospitals are asking people not to go to the emergency room for a test.

"We urge the public to reserve our emergency rooms for medical emergencies," St. David's Healthcare wrote in an Instagram post. It comes as one in three COVID-19 tests in Travis County are coming back positive and as case counts skyrocket.

Hospitals and local leaders say people showing up to test for COVID-19 at emergency rooms is contributing to staffing shortages.

"What the hospitals are talking to us mostly about with respect to staffing are the number of people that are showing up in emergency rooms to get asymptomatic testing," Austin Mayor Steve Adler said in a COVID-19 briefing Tuesday. "They're really asking the public not to go to a hospital to get an asymptomatic test."

To find a COVID-19 test, check out Austin Public Health's website. Testing is also done through private companies like Curative, Nomi Health, Walgreens, CVS and Tarrytown Pharmacy, among others.

Health leaders have also said the price of a test in emergency rooms could possibly be significant. Testing at other sites is free of charge regardless of insurance.