ER use declines as heat wave begins to recede
Temperature will dip mid-week then edge back up by Friday
The end of the 35-plus heat wave is in sight and so far, fewer people have been seeking help from hospital emergency departments.
The weather forecast is for temperatures to drop from 32 C today and Wednesday to a pleasant 24 C on Thursday and 26 C on Thursday but return to the low 30s on Friday and through the weekend.
A heat warning issued by Environment Canada last week continued Monday but will likely be lifted by Wednesday.
“Temperatures will be cooler Tuesday. Current guidance indicates temperatures returning to seasonal normals on Wednesday,” said the Environment Canada website on Monday afternoon.
“The hottest time of the day will be late afternoon to early evening. The coolest time of the day will be near the sunrise.
“Heat-related illness began to increase during the heat wave, as we expected,” said Interior Health medical health officer Dr. Silvina Mema on Monday.
“However, the good news is we saw fewer people attending emergency departments than we saw during last year’s heat event.”
Starting last Wednesday, eight to 10 people began coming to emergency departments across Interior Health each day for heatrelated illness, compared to 30 per day during last year’s heat dome, Mema said.
“Before Wednesday, we were seeing one to three people coming to the ED each day because of the heat. With cooling temperatures expected this week, we anticipate visits to emergency departments to decline.”
Extreme heat affects everyone. The risks are greater for young children, pregnant women, older adults, people with chronic illnesses and people working or exercising outdoors.
Watch for the effects of heat illness: swelling, rash, cramps, fainting, heat exhaustion, heat stroke and the worsening of some health conditions.”