48 HOURS FROM HELL
Thousand could die from the extreme temp NHS fears of new casualties nightmare
BRITAIN was on red alert last night amid fears that record temperatures of 41C will lead to 48 hours of hell and thousands of deaths.
Scorching temperatures have prompted the Met Office to issue its first “danger to life” health alert for extreme heat across almost the entire country.
The red warning covers huge swathes of England, from London up to Manchester, and to the Vale of York, with the current heatwave set to peak on Tuesday.
The Met Office said the chances of the 37.8C UK record – 101.7F – set in Cambridge in 2019 being toppled had risen to 80%. It will leave parts of the UK warmer than 38C Bahrain – leading to warnings thousands could die from the searing heat without proper precautions.
Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge said: “If people have vulnerable relatives or neighbours, now is the time to make sure they’re putting suitable measures in place to be able to cope with the heat.
“This is a very serious situation.”
Warned
Despite the warnings, million flocked to the seaside to enjoy the Costa-style heat without the grief of flying abroad.
Meanwhile there are mounting fears the NHS will be overwhelmed by a number of heat-related casualties.
Those with heart and breathing problems were warned to take care.
Heat exhaustion and dehydration are also a threat to the elderly, babies and young children. Some routine hospital appointments and surgery, scheduled for tomorrow and Tuesday, have been postponed to reduce the risk to frail patients travelling into hospital and to free up capacity for extra emergencies.
Last year, more than 1,600 excess deaths were recorded during heatwaves when temperatures were lower than this week.
Bob Ward, of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, warned it could result in thousands of excess deaths.
He said: “We could see 1,500 to 2,000 deaths just from this one period of heat.”
Professor Kevin Mcconway, of the Open University, added: “Assuming the forecasts are roughly correct, it’s very likely that there will be hundreds or thousands of excess deaths from the heat in the next few days.” Last night one NHS doctor warned the heatwave and the surge in Covid-19 cases are resulting in a nightmare for staff.
Claire Bronze, an A&E consultant in London, said: “We’ve got people waiting in A&E for up to two days at a time for a bed in the hospital.
“We’ve got ambulances queuing to get in, we’ve seen a lot of Covid cases again, and then there’s the heat.
“There’s all these things happening that are just a bit of a nightmare.”
Covid infections have jumped by nearly 800,000 in a week, with some parts of the country nearing record levels seen during the spring.
Dr Bronze added: “A lot of hospital
This is very serious situation – look after the
vulnerable
buildings are very old and many don’t have air conditioning and windows that don’t open so they are extremely hot.
“Some staff still have to wear PPE – plastic gowns, masks, gloves – on top of their normal uniform which means people are quickly going to get very hot and dehydrated.
“Staff are struggling to go for breaks because it’s so busy, then to add to that we’ve got so many staff members off sick with Covid at the moment, too.”
Milton Keynes University Hospital, Bucks, said routine outpatient appointments and surgery would not go ahead tomorrow and Tuesday following the warning over extreme heat.
Ambulance trusts already struggling to cope with demand are facing a further 20% in call-outs for heatrelated illnesses. Paramedic Paul
Turner, who works for North West Ambulance Service, claimed up to 90% of emergency vehicles have broken air con.
And he claimed cannot get drinking water during sweltering shifts.
He said: “It’s going to be really uncomfortable.”
Meanwhile, rail bosses begged people to only travel if absolutely necessary as temperatures can affect tracks, power lines and signals.
Imposed
Network Rail warned services may be subject to speed restrictions to avoid tracks buckling.
Motorists were warned of delays on the roads and even planes could be affected. Reservoirs are already bone-dry after huge demand.
Many schools have said they will close tomorrow while others have altered the times of their school day and told pupils to come in wearing
PE kit to make them comfortable. Some retail experts warned supermarket shelves could be empty as refrigeration systems struggle.
A record of up to 41C is forecast for parts of the country on Monday and Tuesday.
The red warning will remain in place for areas in central, northern, eastern and southeastern England with amber warnings and temperatures in the high 30s elsewhere.
Temperatures are expected to return closer to the low thirties from Wednesday.
Animal charities are warning of an surge in escaped snakes.
They warn the reptiles become “extremely active” in hot weather and urged owners to make sure containers are securely fastened.
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