We cannot say we have all come out intact.

It was easy for many of us to think COVID-19 was on the wane six months ago. Vaccinations were progressing as case numbers went down. Summer sunshine made hanging out outside actually enjoyable after a cooped-up winter of socialising with just our pods. Maybe, just maybe,?Zoom?fatigue would soon be a thing of the past.

Then came the Omicron variant on November 26, 2021, and we all cried, "No, not again!" It moved at lightning speed and, in less than three months, had spread around the world, causing record peaks in cases in many places. Presently, it seems to be declining just as quickly, leading to a loosening of public-health measures to a degree not seen in almost two years.

The pandemic has robbed people not only of joy but also of ways to process grief. As many people grasp "every opportunity to reconnect" and find new normals, others are still mourning the loss of loved ones, especially as COVID-19 restrictions prevented the kinds of healing and commemoration families may once have taken for granted.

We must pay tribute to our health workers, who have borne the brunt of this crisis.

"We cannot say that they have come out intact: research shows that as many as 43% of frontline health workers are experiencing significant levels of anxiety, and a large proportion of clinical staff working in intensive care now meet the clinical threshold for post-traumatic stress disorder. Supporting them and their mental health must be a central pillar of building back better. With them, we recognise the sacrifices made by almost all of us, knowing that these sacrifices have been much bigger for the people already underserved in life".?

Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge (Source: WHO Europe)

The Society's work continued throughout the pandemic as it has done for over 176 years. Our volunteers, members and staff adapted in order to ensure the most vulnerable in society were not forgotten and still received the help they needed. But, we also had to ensure that we ourselves were okay; after all, this pandemic affected everyone.

We lost many people close to us - members, friends, family - and it was unbearable, lonely and isolating for so many of us at times. Still, with all my heart, I can say I have never felt so proud to be a member of the SVP family as I witnessed the strength, compassion and courage that imbues all of what we do as an organisation. This became extremely apparent when we interviewed some of our members and staff around the country last summer to speak about their hopes for the future. All of us laughed, joked and cried during this, and the sense of suffering for everyone was palpable at times.

In the latest edition of the Bulletin, we want to pay tribute to the tremendous work carried out by the Society and all involved during what was, for sure, one of the most challenging periods any of us had experienced in our lifetimes. We had to adapt in so many ways: in how we convened as Conferences; in how we helped the vulnerable; by adjusting our fundraising methods; by changing how we operated our retail services; and so much more. But we did it; we rose to the challenge and came out strong. Thank you, to each and everyone one of YOU.