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- Page navigation anchor for COVID-19 highlights health promotion and chronic disease prevention amid health disparitiesCOVID-19 highlights health promotion and chronic disease prevention amid health disparitiesWe read the editorial piece by Mainous et al1 on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on chronic disease management with interest. The authors have rightly emphasised the need to manage ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSC) and chronic diseases alongside managing the burden of the pandemic. We agree that other health conditions should not be neglected amidst the crisis as it may result in worsened mortality outcomes than the crisis we are fighting against. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done, considering the impact of the virus on the healthcare sector globally.It is evident that having coexisting conditions worsens the outcomes of a SARS-CoV-2 infection due to various factors. For example, some chronic disease sufferers undergo immunosuppression and are thus at a higher risk of infection and further complications. However, there are additional factors that play a role in this increased risk of hospitalisation. Patients with chronic conditions visit hospitals and GPs regularly for treatment and follow up. These health institutions can serve as hotspots for the virus and are therefore an infectious reservoir for these at-risk patients. Such patients also tend to live with carers and/or family members,2 which further increases their risk of contracting the virus. These factors need to be considered in this pandemic and future outbreaks to provide their treatment in the safest and most e...Show MoreCompeting Interests: None declared.