question: The role of socio-economic conditions has been largely implicit in mathematical epidemiological models However, measures to address the current pandemic, specifically the relevant interventions proposing physical distancing, have highlighted how social determinants affect contagion and mortality dynamics of COVID-19 For the most part, these social determinants are not present in either policy discussions or in relevant epidemiological models We argue for the importance of incorporating relevant social determinants of health into the modelling dynamics of COVID-19, and show how global variation of these conditions may be integrated into relevant models In doing so, we also highlight a key political economy aspect of reproduction dynamics in epidemics