What's Going On With Moderna Stock Today?

Moderna Inc. MRNA shares are trading lower Tuesday. The stock may be pulling back after gaining on bird flu concerns last week and predictions for a slight rise in COVID-19 cases.

What’s Going On: Recent concerns about the spread of bird flu have heightened anxieties about the possibility of another pandemic. A Texas man’s infection after close contact with an infected cow last month has raised alarms among scientists, with warnings that certain strains of bird flu could be significantly more lethal than COVID-19.

Despite the CDC’s assurance that the “risk to the general public remains low” and human-to-human transmission remains “rare,” concerns have increased due to the virus’s spread among cattle, impacting humans. Currently, 70 dairy farmworkers in Colorado are under monitoring for potential symptoms of bird flu.

Executives at Moderna, alongside other vaccine manufacturers like GSK Plc and CSL Seqirus, have announced plans to test human vaccines against bird flu, addressing concerns about a potential future pandemic. Moderna’s mRNA vaccine research, which initially focused on pandemic flu and was later adapted for COVID-19, demonstrates the company’s capability to respond swiftly to emerging health threats.

Related Link: Large Vaccine Players Including GSK, Moderna Prepare For Bird Flu Vaccine ‘Just In Case’

New reports from last week also showed that experts are anticipating a small rise in COVID-19 cases this summer, which sent Moderna and other vaccine stocks surging. The expected rise is due to the new KP.2 variant, which represents 28% of infections in the U.S.

Research suggests that while KP.2 may be more immune evasive, it could be less efficient at infecting cells, potentially leading to milder symptoms. Although experts are predicting a rise in COVID-19 cases, they expect the increase to be smaller than in previous years.

See Also: Experts Predict Rise In COVID-19 Cases: Vaccine Stocks Climb

MRNA Price Action: Moderna shares are down 8.53% at $152.28 at the time of publication, according to Benzinga Pro.

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