Check up on vulnerable neighbours, Public Health head recommends ahead of expected high temperatures

The public should check on vulnerable neighbours and care homes should equip themselves with emergency electricity generators to cope with power cuts this summer, the Superintendent of Public Health said on Saturday.

Speaking to Andrew Azzopardi on RTK103, Superintendent of Public Health  Charmaine Gauci said that she had been impressed by the sheer volume of emergency calls for medical assistance last year.

With temperatures expected to reach 35 degrees celsius this week, Gauci said that care homes for the elderly should have emergency electricity generators to cope with potential powercuts.

Last year’s heatwave had been particularly dangerous because it had lasted so long, Gauci said, adding that the 80 deaths from heat-related causes could have been avoided.

She also urged listeners to check up on any neighbours of theirs who live alone, as this could save lives.

In one particular week, 44% of those deaths had occurred at the patients’ own homes, before they even had a chance to contact the health services, Gauci said.

“Don’t leave elderly persons or animals waiting in your car while you run errands,” the Superintendent told Azzoparedi. “We know how high the temperatures can rise [inside cars].”

Gauci appealed for people who have contracted Covid to act responsibly and quarantine themselves, in the light of a recent rise in cases, which has shot up 409 this month, leaving four dead.

She urged anyone who suspects that they might have Covid to test themselves at home.

Gauci reminded that there were people still suffering from so-called Long Covid, with symptoms affecting them to this day.

On a positive note, Gauci noted that members of the public of all ages had become more health-conscious.

Summer’s influx of tourists was unlikely to cause a spike in Covid cases, Gauci said, partly because of the normally short duration of their stays in Malta. 

However, persons arriving from less developed nations are being screened for contagious diseases, including tuberculosis and measles, Gauci told the radio host, adding that around 800 applications for this type of screening are received every week.