LONGVIEW, Wash. -- Health officials in southwest Washington have asked the public to stay away from the hospital if they believe they have the H1N1 flu virus.

At St. John Medical Center, the hospital has seen an influx of people showing up at emergency rooms in hopes of being tested for the virus. Earlier this week, at least 30 people visited the Longview medical center's emergency room with flu-like symptoms and many wanted a H1N1 test.

Cowlitz County health officials said hospitals do not test for H1N1 flu unless a person is severely ill. They said anxious patients overburdening emergency rooms with H1N1 concerns are a common scenario across the northwest and the United States.

Carlos Carreon, from the Cowlitz County Health Department, said most sickened people should try to take care of themselves.

"If folks are in general pretty healthy and they are having general flu like illness, it's a common course to stay home and get a lot of rest and a lot of fluids," Carreon said.

There has also been an increase in people visiting hospitals and requesting anti-viral medications such as Tamiflu, but doctors said those medications are in short supply and typically given only to patients with the greatest risk of developing complications, such as children younger than 5 years old and adults older than 65 years old.

"It has to do with the right resource at the time right time with the right level of need," Carreon said.

Health officials do not want to discourage people from visiting emergency rooms if they're severely sick, but they suggest consulting a doctor first if they believe they have the H1N1 flu virus.

Vaccinations against the H1N1 virus should be available locally next week. A study from the Centers for Disease Control found 4r0 percent of adults plan to get vaccinated.

Think You Have H1N1? Try Doctor First, Hospital Says