Health agency bosses have warned elderly people as well as vulnerable young adults are at risk amid the cold spell with officials warning of impacts on health services
New maps have shown where Brits are most at risk after officials issued amber cold health alerts for large swathes of the country.
UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) chiefs issued two amber warnings that will affect millions of people in England. The amber alerts for the North East and North West are in place and will continue until 12pm on January 5.
The agency also warned of the risks posed to the elderly as well as people living with health conditions and possibly those in younger age groups. UKHSA officials said low temperatures could result in more people using health care services.
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Temperatures in hospitals, care homes and clinics could also drop below the levels recommended for assessing health risks. The UKHSA noted indoor temperatures should keep at around 18C.
Every other region of England is under less serious yellow alert until 12pm on January 5. People have been warned the conditions could lead to a rise in demand for health services as well as challenges facing workers who handle delivery services.
Dr Agostinho Sousa, the UKHSA head of extreme events and health protection, called on people to check on friends, family and neighbours during the cold spell. “The forecasted temperatures can have a serious impact on the health of some people, particularly for individuals over the age of 65 and those with pre-existing conditions,” he said, reports The Guardian.
His comments come as the Met Office forecasts cold nights and frost in the north with mostly dry and patchy cloud by midweek. Temperatures will hover just above, or just below, freezing in the days leading up to January 5, according to the met Office.
“Subtle day-to-day changes in wind direction from northeast to northwest will change the places most exposed to the showers, but many inland locations across central and southern areas will remain mostly dry but cold,” the Met Office said In its long-term forecast for between January 2 and January 11.
“There are likely to be some more coherent bands of rain, sleet and snow working south, and these may bring a risk of more prolonged wintry precipitation affecting some inland areas. Towards the second half of this period, slightly milder conditions will attempt to move in from the west.”
Temperatures are expected to stabilise around average from mid-January toward the end of the month. The Met Office continued: “There is perhaps a weak signal for slowly evolving weather patterns to be more favoured than normal, such patterns increase the chances of frost and fog above normal by night.”
