"It is urgent to talk about values, about the less fortunate, and about professionals in the social sector."

"When we talk about the 'most vulnerable,' we are recognizing vulnerability as a characteristic of everyone, insofar as we need others to survive and grow. That is the foundation of the ethics of care."

We are all vulnerable beings and also beings who have been violated.

The most vulnerable are, generally, the most violated, the most hurt, the most harmed by injustices, by poverty, by policies that do not attack inequality or generate it, by the lack of food, shelter, roof and by loneliness.

The most vulnerable are not a social construct but the reality of many, too many people who are excluded from enjoying a dignified life.

The weight of social determinants in the right to health

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During the pandemic, there have not only been health problems: people have continued to die at sea, in burning industrial buildings, or on the street.

I don't see a clear narrative about the pandemic and vulnerable groups; many of these groups were already vulnerable when the pandemic hit, and to them were added many others who were in a seriously fragile situation. This narrative should point out that, for many, the pandemic isn't the problem itself, but rather what allows us to see it and exacerbates it. Because what needs to be done, in addition to eradicating the virus, is to eradicate the conditions that were causing so much suffering before it even began.

For a long time, it was argued that the virus affected everyone equally. It was common to hear that the virus didn't discriminate based on neighborhood or social class; that we were all in the same boat. None of that is true.

The virus affects the poorest people the most, those living in the worst conditions. The limitations it imposes are greater for those who have the least.

It took time, for example, to accept that the conditions of home confinement could be eased for those whose health conditions made it difficult for them to be locked up without increasing their anxiety.

The health narrative has permeated everything, and fragments of discourse on the social effects of the virus have been added to the mix. But these are, in my opinion, just as serious, if not more so. The virus will pass, with whatever cost in human lives it may bring—always a painful fact—but the damaged lives, the wounded dignity, the appalling poverty will endure, and the most vulnerable will suffer the most. Recalling the words of Miquel Martí Pol in *El llibre de les solituds* , “as has happened since the world began and we humans who live in it have made ourselves its masters.”

There are three narratives that are being abandoned and that are urgently needed : the narrative of ethics and values; the narrative of the less fortunate who have no voice; and the narrative of social sector professionals who support so many people with such high levels of need and whose voices are sorely missed.

"If needs increase without a corresponding increase in resources, quality declines, and the workload and stress of healthcare professionals rise. The magnitude and novelty of the health problems caused by the pandemic are leading to greater visibility for healthcare professionals. The same cannot be said for social services professionals who have been working directly with so many people in extremely difficult situations and whose workload has increased due to the growing deprivation and vulnerability. This leads to a heavier workload, but also to greater suffering stemming from empathy in the face of such profoundly painful situations. They are less talked about, less applauded, and less rewarded, and yet their work is exceptional."

This highlights the need for two types of support: the readjustment of professional staff to the scale of the new needs and the need for emotional support and, in general, care."

"Mental health services have suffered from insufficient resources since the era of budget cuts, especially in the community. It's time to address this. The pressures of our times will affect our way of life and create problems whose solution will depend not only, or even primarily, on the healthcare system, but on a cross-cutting approach, because mental health is not just a medical issue. Therefore, the solution is not more diagnoses, more medication, and more psychotherapy."

It is necessary to delve deeper into human rights, prevention, and redistributive policies that attempt to curb such inequality and transform living conditions. These policies should foster a dignified life and the construction of a more egalitarian, radically inclusive society where everyone fits in and can thrive together.

We must cultivate values such as equality, solidarity, hospitality, welcoming, kindness, and attentiveness towards others. I believe this is the moment to reinforce the values of communal living, collective growth, and the development of care from a community perspective. And to generate hope, which, always and now more than ever, is an ethical imperative.