General practice is absolutely central to national and local responses to COVID-19 in Australia, and the nation is building a response on the basis of its very strong system of primary healthcare.

The Australian public has benefited greatly from the manifold contributions of general practice throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

As COVID-19 affects healthcare and social care systems around the world, reports of infection among healthcare and social care workers continue to accumulate.

Support for young people to access timely and appropriate sexual and reproductive health during the COVID-19 pandemic should be a priority for policymakers around the world.

In scoping the emerging literature on COVID-19 during 2020 and considering its policy relevance, we identified six emerging challenges that highlight the importance of the five principles.

The success of the nation’s COVID-19 vaccine program reflects the trust the people of Australia have in their general practices and their general practitioners.

Lessons from previous pandemics emphasise the importance of consistent information and advice for healthcare workers, particularly regarding their use of personal protective equipment.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a ‘perfect storm’ for the deterioration of mental health.

There may be multiple reasons why older people are not able to effectively access or engage with health technologies despite their availability.

The future of telehealth in primary care requires its coherent integration into clinical infrastructure and bolstering of community access and capacity to use both video and telephone modalities.

The Australian public has benefited greatly from the manifold contributions of general practice throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Strategies that have successfully increased COVID-19 vaccine uptake may also be effective in enhancing uptake across a range of vaccine-preventable diseases.