January was the coldest month in Winnipeg in the last 5 years.
Due to the fact that the air temperature reached its critical minimum, the city’s hospitals were overcrowded. More than 10 cases of hypothermia and more than 60 cases of frostbite were officially registered in Winnipeg. These data have become a record for the last 5 years.
If to compare to the data of 2015, there were only 20 cases of frostbite.
"We've seen a lot more cold weather warnings this winter. So there may be some relationship there, but we haven't analyzed the numbers, really, to fairly know what's behind that," dr. Heejune Chang from WRHA said.
Dr. Heejune Chang stressed that city inhabitants should not relax, because really warm weather is still far away. They should remember about their safety and continue to wear warm clothes and watch the weather forecast. In addition, people should not forget about helping those who are most vulnerable, for example, the elderly and the homeless.
"We have to consider our societal responsibilities as well, to make sure that we support individuals who may not have the same advantages as others," Chang said.
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