1. Russia begins distribution of Sputnik V COVID vaccine
On Tuesday, Feb. 2, Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine was declared 91.6% effective in preventing people from developing COVID-19, according to peer-reviewed results from its clinical trial published in The Lancet.
This phase III trial of Russia’s Sputnik COVID-19 vaccine is being distributed. The vaccine faced heavy criticism when first distributed to healthcare workers before final data was released. Now proven to be 91.6% effective, scientists said the vaccine’s aid against the deadly pandemic justifies it being released early. The trial tests have been running since September in Moscow, Russia.
“Another vaccine can now join the fight to reduce the incidence of COVID-19,” states The Lancet, an international medical journal.
Since the trials started, only 16 symptomatic COVID-19 cases developed out of a group of 19,866 volunteers.
2. Volkswagen to make software challenging Google
On Tuesday, Feb. 2, Volkswagen announced they are fitting newer cars with their software instead of using a large company such as Apple or Google.
“We’ll make the bulk of the software on our own in the future,” said Markus Duesmann, a management board member at Volkswagen.
Volkswagen’s new software created 5,000 job positions and promotes the VW.OS operating system. With their confidence and size of the company, they expect to set new standards within the process of software development, according to Reuters.
Daimler and Volkswagen are working on their operating systems for autonomous cars to ensure they have a chance to compete with large tech firms such as Apple and Amazon in the field of electric vehicle data, reports Reuters.
3. Robinhood app soars despite restrictions
With the stock market booming, Robinhood app downloads are increasing even as the app is implementing new restrictions. Robinhood reported 2.1 million downloads last week, according to Sensor Tower.
Even with numerous downloads, there are reportedly Robinhood users upset with the new restrictions. Reddit users speculate apps like Robinhood are creating these restrictions to help hedge funds.
Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev refuted such claims, saying restrictions were only used to preserve the app.
“We believe this could drive some level of account movement, but the faster that firms like Robinhood get back to normal operations, the less attrition we would expect,” said analysts at JPM Securities.
