Watch: COVID-19 and the AIDS Fight

Axios' Mike Allen, Niala Boodhoo and Caitlin Owens hosted a conversation on the global response to two pandemics — AIDS and COVID-19, featuring Every Mother Counts founder Christy Turlington Burns, Churches Health Association of Zambia Head of Advocacy Yoram Siame and ONE Campaign President and CEO Gayle E. Smith.

Christy Turlington Burns discussed maternal health in the U.S. and the impact of COVID-19, highlighting how the risk of complications during pregnancy is especially high for Black and Indigenous women.

• On the role of midwives and doulas in maternity care: "There are very few states in the country that adequately support these types of health care workers who we know make a huge difference in the impact of childbirth for any woman, let alone a woman who may have a chronic health condition or be marginalized."

Yoram Siame unpacked Zambia's fight against COVID-19 and the country's investment in public health safety.

• On COVID-19's impact on Zambia: "Zambia is a landlocked country, which means that we depend on our neighbors for most of the goods and services. And when those countries go into lockdown, it means that our supply is cut off. And this has a big impact on economic activity."
• How COVID-19 presents a challenge for treating existing diseases: "We are living in an environment where we don't have the number of health workers that we need. COVID-19 means that this literal human resource is shared between us and issues like HIV, TB, malaria, and non-communicable diseases like cancer, which are not going away."

Gayle E. Smith discussed how the COVID-19 pandemic has diverted resources from efforts to care for patients with AIDS and HIV and malaria, and the challenges of fighting two epidemics.

• On the unique bipartisan support for fighting AIDS: "There's a fair amount of division floating around Washington, so to know that ending this epidemic...is still a priority and still a place where Democrats and Republicans have shown that they can work together is encouraging."

Donate to (RED) and help fight both pandemics.

Thank you Bank of America for sponsoring this event.