The countries of the region implemented a series of short-term measures to mitigate the social, health and economic effects of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. In the social sphere, these focused on the provision of social protection entitlements in a rapid and timely manner to the population in need of support. The pressure this placed on the response capacity of social information systems and registries of recipients of social protection systems (social registries) meant that countries had to implement various innovations and adopt new ways of identifying the potential population, incorporate information and communications technologies, and improve information systems to achieve greater coverage of the population. This study analyses the situation regarding social information systems and social registries prior to the pandemic, and the innovations implemented by 15 Latin American countries in the face of the crisis. It also makes recommendations to help strengthen universal social protection systems.