| Johnson & Johnson's single-dose vaccine trials show promising results; the GameStop/Robinhood trading saga is creating strange political bedfellows. Tonight's Sentences was written by Gabby Birenbaum. | | | | | | | Johnson & Johnson's vaccine is 72% effective in the US | | | | | AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images via Getty Images | | - In early trials against multiple variants for its single-shot vaccine, Johnson & Johnson says its shot is 66 percent effective at preventing disease and 85 percent effective at preventing serious illness. [ABC News / Sony Salzman]
- While Johnson & Johnson's vaccine is not quite as effective as the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, its single dose requirement and cost-effectiveness — it can be produced at half the cost of the other American ones — will make it an important player in the global vaccine scheme, experts say. [Vox / Julia Belluz and Umair Irfan]
- The Johnson & Johnson vaccine also has a production advantage: The company says it has millions of vaccines ready to ship and expects to produce 1 billion shots this year. [WSJ / Peter Loftus]
- The Food and Drug Administration is expected to begin its authorization process next week. [National Geographic / Sarah Elizabeth Richards]
- One caveat is that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine appears less effective against new variants. While it is 72 percent effective in the US, the trials show a 57 percent efficacy rate in South Africa. [NYT / Carl Zimmer, Noah Weiland, and Sharon LaFraniere]
- Due to its singular dose, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine could be critical to the Biden administration, which is looking to ramp up the country's vaccination campaign, and to global efforts, particularly in lower-income countries. It is easier to ship and store because it requires refrigeration rather than freezer storage, like the other two US vaccines. [AP / Lauren Neergaard and Linda A. Johnson]
- However, potential inequity problems could arise if lower-income people, domestically and globally, receive the Johnson & Johnson vaccine because of its single dose scheme and easier storage capabilities, while wealthier people and nations get the more effective Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. [National Geographic / Sarah Elizabeth Richards]
- The Johnson & Johnson vaccine's side effects also appear to be weaker than those of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. [USA Today / Karen Weintraub]
| | | Lawmakers are angry about the Robinhood trading scandal, but place the blame on different parties | | - Politicians from all across the ideological spectrum slammed the online brokerage Robinhood for pausing the buying of GameStop, AMC, and other stocks that redditors have driven up in the past week, saying it gave hedge funds an advantage over retail traders. [Yahoo News / Ethan Wolff-Mann]
- The populist financial revolt — and the subsequent control attempts from Robinhood — brought everyone from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to Sen. Ted Cruz into agreement that the stoppage was unfair. [MarketWatch / Chris Matthews]
- Robinhood says it aims to "democratize finance," but many say its shutdown on buying specific stocks disadvantaged retail traders. And while many politicians are in agreement that the move was wrong, some believe in opening up the stock market to as many people as possible, while others argue for regulating trading, whether app users or hedge funds. [Recode / Emily Stewart and Rani Molla]
- While Republicans have long held a reputation as the party of Wall Street, those who have adopted a mantle of populism, like Donald Trump Jr., sided with the redditors. They see the anti-elite anger of those involved in the GameStop rebellion as potential allies in broader culture wars against tech companies or the media. [New Republic / Jacob Silverman]
- The Democrats who lead the House and Senate finance committees have called for stock market hearings, while some Republicans have decried Robinhood's stoppage as interference in the free market. Democrats like Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), who represents Silicon Valley, have called for greater regulation and equality in the stock market. [Business Insider / Mia Jankowicz]
- More progressive Democrats, like Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), have criticized the entire saga as an example of the pitfalls of so-called casino capitalism, in which high-frequency trading only serves to benefit the uber-wealthy. They called for taxes on wealth and financial transactions, respectively. [Business Insider / Mia Jankowicz]
- Warren lambasted the Securities and Exchange Commission for not enforcing anti-market manipulation rules, saying she sees Democratic control of government as an opportunity to increase regulation on all aspects of the stock market. She also cautioned against seeing the episode as a David vs. Goliath tale, saying wealthy people may be betting alongside the redditors. [Boston Globe / Anissa Gardizy]
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Which New York Islanders great holds the NHL record for most consecutive 50-goal seasons? Solve today's new Vox crossword puzzle, and stay tuned for more puzzles coming out Monday through Saturday. | | | | | | | "To have a healthy stock market, you've got to have a cop on the beat. That should be the SEC. They need to step up and do their job." | | | | | | | | | | | Vox's Emily Stewart explains how GameStop's stock jumped by 1,700 percent this month. Bloomberg's Matt Levine ponders the purpose of the stock market. [Spotify / Sean Rameswaram] | | | | | | | | |  | This email was sent to edwardlorilla1986.paxforex@blogger.com. Manage your email preferences, or unsubscribe to stop receiving all emails from Vox. If you value Vox's unique explanatory journalism, support our work with a one-time or recurring contribution. Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036.
Copyright © 2021. All rights reserved. | | | | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment