The COVID-19 pandemic has put the United States and the world into a state of uncertainty. Before the onset of the coronavirus, awareness of health disparities across cities in the United States was questionable at best. As the world continues to grapple with the fallout of the pandemic and the response to it, several states and developed and developing countries created and implemented response efforts that were used as a guide, which social workers are most qualified to address but have not been a focus on a national nor international stage. This commentary focuses on two American states - Texas and Ohio as well as other global countries, and their responses that gained worldwide attention related to healthcare accessibility, service provision, and the role social workers should play moving forward and beyond the pandemic.
Keywords: COVID-19; Social work; pandemic; racial injustice.