I am grateful to the many people who reached out to me over the past few weeks, and am happy to report that after a nearly-three-week stay in hospital, I am finally back home and reunited with my family. My experience has in a very personal way confirmed what we have known all along: COVID-19 is not to be trifled with. While recent news reports from the United States and elsewhere have been encouraging, the situation in many countries is still alarming and even catastrophic. I urge everyone to continue to take this virus seriously, and if you have not yet been vaccinated, please do so as soon as possible!

I will be taking the next weeks slowly as I rebuild my strength and work towards a full recovery. My thanks to everyone for their support and good wishes. I look forward to being in touch with you all again soon. – Alan