Vaccine makers’ stocks are soaring.
- Pfizer (PFE) was up $1.75 earlier this week, at $52.00
- BioNTech (BNTX) was up about $17, at $152.40
- Moderna (MRNA)was up $15, at $153.25
This is due in part to news that China is battling another wave of coronavirus infections.
Millions of people across China are on lockdown. Schools in Shanghai have been shut down. As Barron’s reports: “According to a data tracker from the New York Times, the daily average number of new cases in China is up more than 450% over the past two weeks.”
Cases are also mounting again in Germany. Over the past week, cases have been rising. According to LiveMint.com: “On Friday, the [German] national disease control center said more than 250,000 new cases had been reported in the past 24 hours, along with 249 deaths.”
Not only that, but Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla says a fourth booster vaccine is necessary. As reported by NBC News: “Bourla said Friday that Pfizer’s scientists are now seeing the protection from the initial booster shot begin to wane against omicron after three or four months, meaning a fourth dose may be needed.”
And then there’s fear of another variant, called “deltacron.” As the name suggests, this one reportedly combines elements of the delta and omicron variants; it has already been detected in some European countries.
At a recent news conference, World Health Organization COVID-19 technical lead, Maria Van Kerkhove, explained: “We have not seen any change in the epidemiology with this recombinant. We haven’t seen any change in severity. But there are many studies that are under way.”
So, we’re still not out of the woods just yet.
That being the case, investors may want to consider buying vaccine makers’ stocks. Until the virus finally fades away, the companies manufacturing COVID-19 vaccines could continue to rake in billions of dollars from potentially new government contracts.
