Reflecting on Australia's five principles for pandemic response in primary care through the lens of early international experiences of COVID-19

FIVE PRINCIPLES have underpinned Australia’s primary care response to COVID-19: 1) protection of vulnerable people, 2) provision of treatment and support services to affected people, 3) continuity of regular healthcare services for the whole population, 4) protection and support of primary care workers and services and 5) provision of mental health services to the community and the primary care workforce.1,2 These were rapidly developed to inform policy at the beginning of the pandemic in collaboration with representatives from the primary healthcare sector, general practice and more than 30 peak national organisations. 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.