https://doi.org/10.1177/17579759211001005 Global Health Promotion 1757-9759; Vol 28(1): 3–4; 1001005 Copyright © The Author(s) 2021, Reprints and permissions: http://www.sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI:10.1177/17579759211001005 journals.sagepub.com/home/ghp On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. This pandemic has challenged prevailing myths about privileging economic growth and further exposed the fault lines in our economic and social systems. The importance of tackling the inequitable distribution of power, wealth and resources along with strategies to redress persisting racial, gender and health inequities have surfaced as key preoccupations, as countries continue to respond to the social, economic and health repercussions of COVID-19. In response to this pandemic, Global Health Promotion partnered with Health Promotion International to launch a special call for papers to encourage the contextualization, development and exchange of health promotion perspectives on COVID-19. We were delighted by the overwhelming response reflecting research, policy, and practice perspectives across different geographic regions. In this first of two special issues, we feature articles that address ‘health promotion perspectives on the COVID-19 pandemic’. A recurring theme across this collection of papers is the importance of shining a light on the disproportionate effects of COVID-19 affecting people living and working in conditions of vulnerability, and the need for context-specific policy and program interventions. These can include precarious workers, slum dwellers, migrants, people experiencing homelessness or food insecurity, and other marginalized peoples and communities who are already systemically oppressed and stigmatized because of their race, dis/ability, gender, sexual orientation or other socially determined circumstance. As suggested by Bitanihirwe and Ssewanyana, response measures to the pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa need to be context-specific and informed by lessons learned from the management of past outbreaks in the region. Molina-Betancur and colleagues remind us that people living in slums in the Global South such as in Medellín (Colombia) are at much greater risk of contracting the virus because of their socioeconomic status and deplorable living conditions. They are also unable to easily comply with public health directives such as physical distancing, handwashing and lockdown measures. In such vulnerable contexts, organized responses led by and for people living in slums can be critical in mitigating the harmful effects of the pandemic and related containment measures. Amstutz and Villa reflect on the need to take a multisectoral approach to health and to engage local communities directly, based on experiences in Canton de Vaud (Switzerland). Richard and colleagues critically reflect on the challenges faced in implementing intersectoral actions in rural Québec in response to an evolving pandemic response by governmental and civil society actors. Lapierre and colleagues report on a telehealth intervention program delivered in partnership with community housing tenants, nurses and students with the aim to promote health literacy. Their assessment thoughtfully documents the challenges, threats and levers related to the implementation of telehealth with a prevention orientation during the pandemic. The pandemic is increasingly being referred to as an ‘infodemic’ due to the plurality of available information sources. Not all of these sources are trustworthy or based on the best available evidence. In the face of uncertainty, misinformation can counter risk communication measures about the pandemic. O’Donovan and colleagues outline the challenges, including the spread of misinformation, from the perspectives of community health workers working in Ghana, Liberia, Mexico, and Uganda, as well as propose mitigating strategies for overcoming these challenges. Using risk communication theory, 100100PED 0 0 10.1177/17579759211001005E. Di Ruggiero and P. Ardiles research-article 2021 Health promotion perspectives on COVID-19 Erica Di Ruggiero 1 and Paola Ardiles 2 Editorial 1. University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 2. Faculty Teaching Fellow & Lecturer, Social Innovation and Community Partnerships, Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. Correspondence to: Erica Di Ruggiero, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Health Sciences Building, 155 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 3M7, Canada. Email: e.diruggiero@utoronto.ca