The Pandemic Is Still Weighing on C.E.O.s’ Minds

The Pandemic Is Still Weighing on C.E.O.s’ Minds

The Coronavirus OutbreakliveLatest UpdatesMaps and CasesState Restrictions vs. Case CountsVaccine TrackerFAQDealBook Business and PolicyDealBook NewsletterHarvard recently held a private meeting for executives to talk candidly about the pandemic.By Andrew Ross Sorkin, Jason Karaian, Michael J. de la Merced, Lauren Hirsch and Ephrat LivniA programming note: There will be no DealBook newsletter on Thursday and Friday this week. We'll return on Monday.ImageImageCovid-19 is still first and foremost on corporate leaders' minds.Credit...Robyn Beck/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesPandemic prioritiesAs coronavirus cases continue to rise, Harvard recently convened two dozen executives from companies like BlackRock, CVS Health, Kohl's, PayPal and Walmart to discuss the pandemic's impact on business. One professor at the closed-door meeting was Joseph Allen of Harvard's School of Public Health, who has been advising companies on pandemic-related matters. He spoke with DealBook about what corporate chiefs say when they speak candidly with one another, as they look to the next phase of the pandemic — and beyond.Preparing to return. Vaccine announcements are welcome, of course, but they raise questions: How should executives interpret data about effectiveness? How will delivery logistics play out? What if employees don't take the shots? (A recent Gallup poll found that around 40 percent of Americans wouldn't