Honolulu Emergency Medical Services is facing high call volumes, many of which are nonemergencies, straining limited resources.

Honolulu EMS Chief Chris Sloman said during a news conference Tuesday that call volumes in the afternoon have been so high that if calls are not for emergencies, “low acuity,” they are being told to wait.

The types of nonemergency calls that are common are people phoning 911 with the misconception that EMS will be able to administer a COVID-19 test.

EMS worker Sunny Fitzgerald, whose area of operation is in town, gave an example of a call that she responded to Monday where a family had people in the house who already had tested positive for COVID-19 but did not have any emergent symptoms. The family noticed that other members of the household were showing mild symptoms of COVID-19, and wanted the EMS workers who responded to give them a test. However, ambulances are not offering COVID-19 testing as a service.

“All we ask is to save EMS and ambulances for emergencies only,” Fitzgerald said.

She emphasized that EMS will still respond to these types of calls but is required to stay until the case is resolved.

“We are there for patient care no matter what it is,” she said.

“I can’t physically leave.”

The problem is that these nonemergency calls divert resources from critical, life- threatening emergencies, Sloman said.

Before the pandemic, EMS would receive about 200 to 250 calls a day. Now that number has gone up to over 300.

For the past two weeks, Fitzgerald said, EMS workers during a 12-hour shift are now responding to about 15 to 25 calls. In comparison, during a 12-hour shift prior to the past two weeks, EMS workers usually would respond to eight to 12 calls.

She said it is now also common during a shift to leave the main area to which an ambulance is assigned to assist other areas that need extra support. The extra travel distance also can lengthen the amount of time it takes to respond to a call.

While this issue is being seen islandwide, Sloman has noticed that there has been an increase in calls on Oahu’s West side.

The elevated level of cleaning that needs to be done after each case is another aspect of responding to a high volume of calls that affect resources.

The cleaning process is much more intensive after every call due to COVID-19 safety measures, adding to the amount of time each call takes.

Before the pandemic an average call would take about 45 minutes. Now, with increased wait times at hospitals and the added cleaning protocols, it can take about an hour and 20 minutes.

“The EMS system is very stressed,” EMS Director Jim Ireland said.

To compound the high call volumes, EMS is also experiencing a loss of workforce due to the spread of COVID-19.

Ireland estimated that on average, about 10% of the workforce has had to call in sick to quarantine after close contact with someone who has COVID-19 or has tested positive for COVID-19.

He did note that the number can vary but that because of this, many EMS workers are having to put in extra shifts.

The EMS workforce challenges follow the trend of high levels of COVID-19 spread due to the highly transmissible omicron variant.

State Department of Health officials reported 2,929 new confirmed and probable coronavirus infections statewide Tuesday. Of the new cases, 1,999 were on Oahu.

The seven-day average case count for Oahu was 2,622, and the seven-day average positivity rate was 21.2%.

A total of 324 patients with the virus were in Hawaii hospitals as of Tuesday, with 31 in intensive care units and 14 on ventilators. On Monday there were 312 COVID-19-positive patients, with 31 in ICUs and 13 on ventilators.

The conditions are leading to EMS first responders feeling exhausted.

“We are overworked and tired,” said Fitzgerald.

“(But) we do this because we love helping people.”

That’s why Sloman said people can help alleviate stress on the EMS system by making sure to call only if it is an actual medical emergency, and not view EMS as a catch-all system.