The information below has been received from our South African counterpart and just goes to show how debilitating and deadly the COVID virus is.

What has happened, in this case, in South Africa could very easily happen here if we don’t do what the Health authorities are asking us to do.

Please get the vaccinations, help to protect your family, your friends, workmates and fellow Ulysses Club members.

I am sure you will join me in my condolences to the South African Ulysses Club members and the family of the deceased members.

We wish them all the very best for a quick end to this pandemic.

Allan Pratt #9186

National Vice President Ulysses Club

Australia

This email was received from Julian Middleton, International contact for South Africa.

Apologies for the delay in replying but all has not been going well on the COVID front here in South Africa.

We had our AGM and National Rally at the end of May and we have a new National President; Blackie Swart from our Centurion Chapter has taken over from Hannes Wentzel who stepped down after 6 years at the helm.

The rest of our NatCom is unchanged.

Shortly after the Rally, the President of the organising chapter and his wife both contracted COVID and after a hard struggle for 3 weeks in ICU, he very sadly succumbed to it, his wife has very fortunately recovered and is now at home.

This is the second chapter President that we have lost as well as 2 additional members.

South Africa is now in the grip of the Delta (Indian) variant and even though in level 4 (Alcohol and meetings ban, restaurants closed , take away’ s only and no leisure travel out of Gauteng), we are seeing over 20,000 new cases daily , hospitals are overflowing and deaths as at about 400 per day.

Our vaccination programme is moving very slowly with only about 4% of the population being vaccinated so we don’t see any light in the near future.

In contrast to the first 2 waves where it was more remote, we are now seeing infections amongst friends and family with a number being admitted to hospital.

Personally, we have gone into almost a complete lock down and self-isolating as much as possible and due for our second vaccine next week.

Most chapters have stopped breakfast runs and we are just waiting for this terrible scourge to pass.

Hope you are all taking care as this new variant seems much more contagious that the previous that we have experienced.

Kind regards

Julian