What is “Move the Needle?” It’s the business community’s efforts to support the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, increase vaccine uptake and encourage individuals to continue to wear masks and take other precautions as the vaccination effort is underway. Business Roundtable companies have been “moving the needle” by producing, distributing and administering the vaccine. “Move the Needle” captures the business community’s continued efforts to end the COVID-19 pandemic and reinvigorate the U.S. economy.
Together, we all can “Move the Needle” and defeat the pandemic by continuing to practice COVID-19 safety measures, including masking and social distancing, and becoming vaccinated when eligible.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the economy was shut down to help save lives. In that initial moment of crisis, Business Roundtable CEOs worked to keep key services up and running and, since then, have continued to use our expertise and capabilities to help in any way we can to end the pandemic, support our frontline workers and reinvigorate the U.S. economy.
Americans rose to the challenge and we were proud to do our part. Now, as we continue to combat COVID-19, our mission is to put an end to the public health crisis and safely rebuild a prosperous and more equitable economy.
“Move the Needle” is a campaign to support the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, increase vaccine uptake and encourage individuals to continue to wear masks and take other precautions as the vaccination effort is underway. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Roundtable companies have been “moving the needle” by producing, distributing and administering the vaccine, and these efforts will continue by:
We know that continuing to protect frontline workers and safely getting others back to the workplace is important for the health of the economy and the health and well-being of Americans. We support the Administration’s efforts to scale up vaccination distribution and testing, to protect vulnerable populations from infection, to improve vaccine surveillance and to address health disparities. We also support providing targeted assistance for individuals and small businesses, resources for the safe and timely reopening of schools and funding to bridge the digital divide. Business Roundtable CEOs are proud to do our part and work with policymakers at all levels to defeat this pandemic and rebuild our economy equitably, so everyone has the tools and opportunity to succeed.
In the battle to combat COVID-19, America’s business leaders are committed to educating the public and our workers so they can make choices to better protect themselves and their loved ones. Business Roundtable and our CEOs are educating Americans about safety measures, bringing awareness to the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines.
Business Roundtable is partnering with the Ad Council and COVID Collaborative on a public education campaign on the importance of getting vaccinated. The $50M campaign, predominantly funded by Business Roundtable members, will reach key audiences across the country through research-driven creative, strategic media placements, community outreach and trusted messenger engagement–representing one of the largest public education efforts in history.
Defeating COVID-19 will require that all of us – businesses, our employees, customers and everyone in the communities where we operate – do our part to keep ourselves and our loved ones healthy and safe. Thanks to the power of American innovation, we have more tools than ever to combat the virus. With the development and deployment of vaccines, we have one of the most effective tools to fight the virus, which is why business leaders are encouraging our employees to get vaccinated when they are eligible. Practicing COVID-19 safety measures also plays an important role in stopping the spread of the virus. Those safety measures include wearing masks that cover your nose and mouth and maintaining social distancing of six feet. Together, we can help bring an end to the pandemic.
Vaccines are one of the tools we have to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Educate yourself so that you can make an informed decision.
The CDC makes recommendations for who should receive the vaccine first, then each state makes its own plan. Use this tool to learn more about your state’s vaccine eligibility and rollout.
One way America’s business leaders are helping to move the needle is by providing and making accessible to businesses of all sizes research-backed COVID-19 health and vaccine education resources. Through a partnership with the Health Action Alliance, Business Roundtable is empowering businesses to promote COVID-19 prevention and vaccine acceptance through employee communications and actions.
The health and safety of our employees, customers and communities remains the top priority for Business Roundtable. As individuals wait to become vaccine-eligible, it is of paramount importance that we continue to take effective safety precautions. Wearing masks and practicing social distancing are important measures to stop the spread of COVID-19 and remain critical until the majority of Americans are vaccinated.
Business Roundtable companies are “moving the needle” by producing, distributing and administering the vaccine. In addition to developing the vaccine, like members Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson have done, Business Roundtable members are playing a leading role administering the vaccine, which is now available at Walmart, CVS and Walgreens. Mass vaccination sites like the one run by Honeywell at Charlotte Motor Speedway allowed thousands of people to get their vaccination in one weekend. Amazon, Starbucks and Microsoft are coordinating with Washington state leaders in the same capacity, vaccinating thousands of Americans in a safe and effective setting with low wait times.
America’s leading employers are providing warehouses and office space as onsite vaccine locations and helping manage logistics around the delivery of the shots. They are lending their expertise and resources to public health agencies to help dispatch doses of vaccines more efficiently. And when it emerged that access to vaccination sites and health care systems was an impediment to vaccination, companies like JP Morgan Chase & Co. supported 60 million rides to and from sites for low-income, uninsured and at-risk communities through a partnership with Lyft.
One of the biggest challenges with COVID-19 has been a lack of treatment options—and for the millions of Americans who have been treated for the virus, much progress has been made by the private sector since the onset of the pandemic. Key advancements by companies like Eli Lilly, Baxter and Bristol Myers Squibb have eased the suffering and helped bring treatment options to health care providers in their time of need. These therapeutics have been gaining approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration at a steady pace and should continue to provide hope to patients and doctors alike.
Another vaccine access issue that emerged was paid-leave for vaccination appointments. Companies like Aon and Tractor Supply are addressing those friction points with their employees by offering time off for vaccination, allowing this key stakeholder group to plan ahead and remain healthy amid the pandemic.
Business Roundtable has partnered with Healthcare Ready, a non-profit dedicated to meeting critical shortages of PPE. To fill critical supply shortages and to ensure essential workers have the protective equipment they need, Business Roundtable responded quickly and in a meaningful way. Together with Healthcare Ready, to date the Roundtable members have facilitated the distribution of 6.5 million pieces of PPE, including 2.5 million procedural masks and 2 million sets of gloves.
As Business Roundtable’s focus remains on promoting continued use of COVID-19 safety measures, such as wearing a mask and maintaining a distance of 6-feet apart, we have partnered with United Way to ensure those who are most in need have access to masks. Through this partnership, Roundtable members have provided 21.5 million masks to students, teachers and school staff across the country. This effort continues, and is even more important as schools safely reopen.