Contributions by Brewis, Wutich & Mahdavi (2020), Bentley (2020), Gibb et al. (2020) and Gravlee (2020) evaluate dimensions of social and ethnic disparities in the impact of COVID‐19. Alexandra Brewis and colleagues draw on insights from their previous research (eg, Brewis & Wutich, 2019) to offer predictions on the role of stigma in promoting disparities in the effects of COVID‐19. They highlight the powerful and long‐lasting effect that the stigma associated with SARS‐CoV‐2 infection is likely to have, along with the outlining the mechanisms through which stigma leverages inequalities in both mental and physical health.