Cold-Health Alerts issued by UKHSA and the Met Office

As of midday Sunday 14 January, the yellow Cold-Health Alerts (CHAs) issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Met Office have been upgraded across all regions of England.

An amber alert is now in place for the whole of England until midday Friday 19 January.

The amber alert covers all regions:

North West of England
North East of England
Yorkshire and the Humber
East of England
West Midlands
East Midlands
South East of England
South West of England
London
Under the new CHA system introduced by UKHSA and the Met Office, an amber alert means that cold weather impacts are likely to be felt across the whole health service for an extended period of time, with potential for the whole population to be at risk and where other sectors may also start to observe impacts, indicating a coordinated response is required.

Dr Agostinho Sousa, Head of Extreme Events and Health Protection at UKHSA, said:

The temperatures we will see leading into the week ahead can rapidly have a serious impact on the health of those over the age of 65 and those with pre-existing health conditions as it increases the risk of heart attacks, strokes and chest infections.

It is therefore vital to check in on friends, family and neighbours to ensure they are well prepared for the cold weather next week.