In this issue, CiSE tackles the historic menace to our way of life that is the COVID-19 pandemic, and the role of computing and data science in our battle against it. This is a milestone for CiSE, and it was made possible by the formidable efforts of editors, authors and reviewers to produce a high-quality issue with a breakneck timeline. The Computer Society recognizes this effort and the importance of the theme by making all these articles open access for six months. I hope they will be read widely and illuminate the power of computing as a scientific tool in the service of society.