COVID-19 in an inequitable world: the last, the lost and the least

As the toll of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to grow, knowledge of existing inequities is more evident than before. This editorial approaches the topic from a global to national perspective by exploring the current and potential socioeconomic and health effects the pandemic has on three population groups, as labelled in the article title and selected based on their historical inequities. 'The last' focuses on the juxtaposition between low-andmiddleincome countries (LMICs) and high-income countries and how the inequitable landscapes of LMICs are fuelling their health systems' eventual collapse under the pressures of the pandemic. 'The lost' highlights how the inequitable environments, created by international neglect and hostility, have left refugees and displaced migrants in a precarious position, where they are exceptionally vulnerable to the impacts of the pandemic. 'The least' is centred on the minority populations who are already bearing the brunt of the pandemic disease burden and are further subjected to a new wave of detrimental socioeconomic impacts as a result of the pandemic exacerbating the cycles of inequities. Under the magnifying light of this pandemic, inequities have never been any clearer and it is only right that effort is taken to resolve them.