Having worked on virus infections and immunity for more than 50 years, with the past 30 or so being heavily focused on influenza the threat of pandemics has long been central to my thinking. When Invited back in 2012, I even wrote a little book – Pandemics: what everyone needs to know – on the subject. Despite that, living through a major pandemic has taught me an enormous amount, especially about the human equation and our strengths and limitations when it comes to both the science and the public health response. As, at age 80, I’m no longer running a research laboratory, all my efforts during this time have been focused on public communication, including (now at #59) weekly ‘lay explainers’ on the science of what’s happening here https://www.doherty.edu.au/news-events/setting-it-straight . It’s complicated, and COVID-19 has, with the emerging understanding of persistent problems in people who have survived this infection (some with a very mild initial course) turned out to be a much worse disease than many of us initially realized. In this talk, I’ll summarize my current understanding, talk about where this may be going, and do my best to answer any questions you might have