Nearly six months on from the first confirmed case here of Covid-19, we have a better understanding of the virus, despite the many uncertainties that remain.
The health service, society, the economy and the political system have also been trying to manage, in this incredibly changed environment.
So with that backdrop, today's Special Committee on the Covid-19 Response had more context and the big players were there - the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, HSE Chief Executive Paul Reid and Dr Ronan Glynn, the acting Chief Medical Officer.
The HSE takes the view that eliminating Covid-19 is not realistic and the plans are no longer around a second surge, but more about managing peaks and troughs.