Distribution of pulse oximeters and oxygen equipment, together with additional support to front-line health-care services, offers an opportunity to close the gap in access to these essential diagnostic and treatment tools for hypoxaemia, which is often associated with childhood pneumonia deaths.8,9 The COVID-19 response is also an opportunity to invest in training of health-care staff to operate and maintain such equipment and safely administer oxygen to patients. Countries are preparing to procure and distribute COVID-19 vaccines when they become available, and to shore up existing immunisation programmes—an opportunity to also reach the 52% of children globally who still require a full course of pneumococcal pentavalent vaccine (PCV).11 The pandemic has also generated an urgent demand for better data to monitor the pandemic and its effects on the health-care system, including coverage of pulse oximetry, oxygen, and the recommended first-line antibiotics for child pneumonia. In January, 2020, at the inaugural Global Forum on Childhood Pneumonia, in Barcelona, Spain, government leaders and representatives from UN and multilateral agencies, private companies, non-profit organisations, and academic institutions from over 55 countries endorsed a declaration committing to six strategic actions to accelerate progress in reducing child pneumonia deaths (panel).12 On World Pneumonia Day, on Nov 12, 2020, it is time to take stock of the key actions the global health community should be taking to support country efforts to strengthen primary health care and health information systems to accelerate progress in preventing child pneumonia infections and deaths.