View article

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the pathogen severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), originated in Wuhan, China, and has now spread internationally with over 4· 3 million individuals infected and over 297 000 deaths as of May 14, 2020, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. While COVID-19 has been termed a great equaliser, necessitating physical distancing measures across the globe, it is increasingly demonstrable that social inequalities in health are profoundly, and unevenly, impacting COVID-19 morbidity and mortality.