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Covid-19 cases are now growing in more than two dozen U.S. states ahead of the flu season, according to Johns Hopkins data, making a safe and effective vaccine even more urgent. Exactly when and how much vaccine will be available dominated the news this week, with President Donald Trump offering a rosier estimate than his own health officials. We also look at the new Apple Watch, New York City schools and more.
| Trump says U.S. could start distributing a vaccine in October, contradicting CDC | President Trump said CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield "made a mistake" when he told senators Wednesday that a Covid-19 vaccine wouldn't be widely available until the summer or early fall of 2021. Trump said the U.S. could begin distributing a vaccine as early as next month. The CDC head said they wouldn't start vaccinating people until November or December at the earliest and it would be limited. The CDC also outlined a sweeping plan this week to make a vaccine free to all Americans if and when one is approved for public use. –Berkeley Lovelace Jr.; Noah Higgins-Dunn | | Despite Trump & CDC's conflicting forecasts, drug executives stick to timeline | Pfizer's CEO told us he's still expecting initial results on that company's Covid-19 vaccine by the end of October. Moderna's CEO reiterated their expectation of November for data – October if things move quickly, December if more slowly. Even so, supply of the vaccines will be limited initially, meaning even if there's an authorization for a vaccine within the next few months – as the president predicts – it won't be until mid-2021 until we can all get it. –Meg Tirrell | | HHS spokesman takes medical leave after accusing CDC scientists of 'sedition' | Michael Caputo, a former Trump campaign official who took over as top spokesman for the HHS earlier this year, is taking a 60-day leave of absence, HHS announced earlier this week. Caputo's appointment was seen as a move to more closely align HHS coronavirus messaging with the White House. The announcement came after he said in a now-deleted video posted Sunday on his personal Facebook page that scientists at the CDC were engaged in "sedition" against Trump. During his time at HHS, Caputo and his allies tried to interfere with public health messaging from the CDC as well as the National Institutes of Health on several occasions, CNBC and other outlets previously reported. In a statement obtained by CNBC, Caputo said he will use the leave of absence "to pursue necessary screenings for a lymphatic issue discovered last week." –Will Feuer | | Apple Watch just inked a deal with its first country: Singapore | Apple Watch is teaming up with the government of Singapore on a two-year program to reduce health-care costs over time by encouraging people to take up better habits around nutrition, fitness, meditation and other activities. Residents need an Apple Watch to participate, and the program is administered through an iPhone app called LumiHealth, which will go live on the App Store in October. Those who sign up can earn one-time rewards of up to $380 Singapore Dollars — about U.S. $280. What's so unique about this announcement is that it marks the first time that a country has teamed up with a tech company on a wellness program that uses consumer devices like an iPhone and the Apple Watch. But in Singapore, where the government pays large hospital bills, there's an economic incentive for public health officials to look for ways to prevent people from getting sick over time. –Chrissy Farr | | New York City delays in-person learning in classrooms again | New York City's public schools will adopt a phased reopening schedule to return students to the classroom, pushing back the start of in-person learning for middle and high school students to October, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday. This is the second time the mayor has delayed reopening classrooms, which were supposed to reopen on Sept. 10. Earlier this month, de Blasio said the public school system would push back its reopening to Sept. 21 after union leaders voiced concern about the lack of health measures to protect teachers, students and staff from the coronavirus. Now, only preschools and special education schools will now be allowed to reopen next week, the mayor said. "We are doing this to make sure that all the standards we've set can be achieved," he said. –Noah Higgins-Dunn | | @Work Spotlight | September 23, 2020
Balancing Current Challenges with Future Opportunities
In today's uncertain business climate, there is a focus on cost containment to weather the storm, but also a need for executives position their organizations for future growth. The CNBC @Work CFO Spotlight will examine how top finance leaders are successfully striking this balance. We'll discuss: lessons learned during the current crisis that can be applied permanently; the strategies, data and automation tools that can be leveraged to help manage uncertainty and lead to a stronger post-crisis posture; how to effectively engage employees, customers, and investors; and much more.
FEATURING R. Martin Chavez, Fmr. CIO and CFO, Goldman Sachs Margaret Keane, CEO, Synchrony Robynne Sisco, President & CFO, Workday Kathy Waller, Fmr. CFO, The Coca-Cola Company; Current Board Member of Delta and Beyond Meat Robin Washington, Fmr. CFO, Gilead; Current Board Member of Alphabet, Honeywell and Salesforce Brian Wenzel, EVP & CFO, Synchrony
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