24/06/2020 - Permalink

Coronavirus: Advice in hot weather – Stay Safe and Well this summer

Related topics: Adult social care / Coronavirus / Health / Partner organisations

With temperatures high this week, health experts across the county are advising people to stay safe and well during the hot weather.

Shropshire Council’s Stay Safe and Well this Summer webpages offers a host of advice for people young and old, to help keep cool and hydrated throughout the hot weather.

The website also provides advice and information on home and personal safety, and signposts people to other summer-related advice including:

The top ways for staying safe are to:

  • look out for others, especially older people, young children and babies and those with underlying health conditions
  • close curtains on rooms that face the sun to keep indoor spaces cooler and remember it may be cooler outdoors than indoors
  • drink plenty of water as sugary, alcoholic and caffeinated drinks can make you more dehydrated
  • never leave anyone in a closed, parked vehicle, especially infants, young children or animals
  • try to keep out of the sun between 11am to 3pm
  • take care and follow local safety advice, if you are going into the water to cool down
  • walk in the shade, apply sunscreen and wear a hat, if you have to go out in the heat
  • avoid physical exertion in the hottest parts of the day
  • wear light, loose fitting cotton clothes
  • make sure you take water with you if you are travelling.

Rachel Robinson, Shropshire Council’s director of public health, said:

“With temperatures high, we advise residents to look after each other in the hot weather. Heat exhaustion and heatstroke can both be very serious if they are not treated quickly, especially for the very young or very old, or for those with long-term illnesses.

“Our ‘Stay Safe and Well this Summer’ webpages provide lots of information and advice to help you keep well whilst enjoying the lovely weather. I’d therefore encourage anyone seeking summer health advice to visit our pages at shropshire.gov.uk/stay-safe-and-well-this-summer/.

“We fully understand that people want to be outside during the warm weather, but please remember that if you or anyone in your household have symptoms of coronavirus you must stay at home to prevent the spread.”

River safety

On a hot day, it might seem like a great idea to cool down in open water. However, it is strongly advised to stay out of the water as there are too many risks that you can’t see hidden below the surface. Here are some tips to stay safe:-

  • Take notice of warning and guidance signs – water conditions are constantly changing
  • Swim parallel with the shore, rather than away from it, and avoid drifting in currents
  • Get out of the water as soon as you start to feel cold
  • Alcohol and swimming should never be mixed
  • If walking or running keep away from the water’s edge and from people not from your household, and supervise youngsters at all times
  • Don’t use airbeds at open locations where they may be carried into deeper water and may not stay afloat
  • Don’t swim near weirs, locks, pipes and sluices
  • Only enter water where there is adequate supervision and rescue cover
  • Wear recommended safety equipment – for example life jackets/helmets for canoeing
  • Don’t jump/dive into open water unless you are sure of the depth and that there are no submerged hazards
  • Getting trained in first aid, rescue and resuscitation techniques could save a life
  • Ensure children know how to swim and that they do not enter the water alone.

Hayfever

Hayfever is the most common seasonal allergy, affecting one in five of us at some point in our lives, and the symptoms can make life very difficult for sufferers. It can come and go at any time in life so for those that haven’t had it before it can take us by surprise.

With pollen counts also high, Rachel Robinson, Shropshire Council’s director of public health, offers advice for hayfever sufferers:

“Although there is no cure for hayfever, there are many over-the-counter remedies available from your local pharmacy to help make life and the condition easier to manage during the summer months. Pharmacists are fully trained health professionals who can offer useful advice on treatments for hayfever, such as antihistamines.

“For those already taking regular medication, pharmacists can advise on the most appropriate treatments that won’t interfere with it. If you’ve tried over-the-counter medicines but are still struggling with troublesome symptoms it may be worth speaking to your GP, as you may need prescription medication.”

Advice on how to reduce the risk either for yourself or somebody you know can be found on NHS Choices at www.nhs.uk/summerhealth. You can also visit your local pharmacy or call NHS 111.

To find your nearest pharmacy in Shropshire visit http://www.nhs.uk/Service-Search/Pharmacy/LocationSearch/10

For more information on staying safe and well this summer, visit Shropshire Council’s Stay Safe and Well this Summer at https://shropshire.gov.uk/stay-safe-and-well-this-summer/ 

Coronavirus

We still have much to learn about how coronavirus (COVID-19) affects the body but both heat and coronavirus put a strain on the heart, lungs, and kidneys and are linked to inflammation in the body.

People that suffer with the following clinical vulnerabilities will be at greater risk of coronavirus and heat related harms and should continue to limit contact to reduce their risk and stay safe in the heatwave.

  • high blood pressure
  • chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
  • heart and lung conditions (cardiovascular disease) •
  • conditions that affect the flow of blood in the brain (cerebrovascular disease)
  • kidney disease

Public Health England have produced some guidance to help you stay safe in the heatwave, and a superb blog post (first published Wednesday 24 June 2020 on gov.uk) here: https://publichealthmatters.blog.gov.uk/2020/06/24/covid-19-and-summer-temperatures/

Beat the Heat:  Coping with heat and COVID-19

Beat the Heat: Coping with heat and COVID-19 guidance

If you or anyone in your household have symptoms of coronavirus, you must stay at home to prevent the spread.

You can see more information about how to stay safe on our coronavirus webpages.

Further information

Hayfever

Symptoms include sneezing, a runny nose and itchy eyes as pollen causes the nose, eyes, throat and sinuses to become swollen, irritated and inflamed. As well as seeking advice from your local pharmacist to ease its symptoms, sufferers can take some basic precautions to help prevent hayfever, including applying a small amount of Vaseline (petroleum gel) below the nostrils to trap pollen grains, and wearing wraparound sunglasses to stop pollen getting in the eyes.

It’s also a good idea to take a shower and change your clothes after being outdoors, and try to stay indoors when the pollen count is particularly high (over 50 grains per cubic metre of air).

Hayfever relief

Antihistamines are commonly used for hayfever. They block the action of the chemical histamine, which the body releases when it thinks it is under attack from an allergen like pollen. Decongestants can also help to relieve a blocked nose which is often caused by hayfever, as well as dust allergies and pet allergies.

Keep informed and sign up to our daily coronavirus email updates

Shropshire Council wants to keep you as up to date and informed as possible. To help us do this, we have developed a coronavirus update that will be sent daily at 8pm via email to anyone who has signed up to our e-bulletins.

This update includes the day’s key Shropshire Council news, and some key news from our partners, relating to coronavirus-linked issues. Please click here to sign up for the updates.

Please do encourage your family and friends to sign up to the updates too. This will help us keep everyone up to date with the rapidly-evolving crisis.