Yes, you’re probably tired of hearing about the Delta variant. We’re sorry, but this is the news: vaccine stocks fell today after a new study indicated that vaccines’ effectiveness is not as strong against the rising Delta variant as previously indicated.
The study indicated that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines sharply declined in effectiveness against the Delta variant as it raged throughout June and July. Moderna’s vaccine was 76% effective and Pfizer’s, 42%.
Ironically, Moderna took the brunt of that bad news. $MRNA has appreciated significant gains since joining the S&P 500, but lost 16% today. 😥
Pfizer, which hasn’t felt nearly as much love as Moderna, lost about 4% today. Their partner in ‘rona-related business, BioNTech, also fell in sympathy with Moderna. $BNTX decreased 13.7% today.
This news comes with a big asterisk, of course: the study is a pre-print and has yet to be peer-reviewed. But this isn’t the first time researchers have underscored vaccines’ weakness against the Delta variant. With scientists worried about new variants, the need for a booster vaccine is likely.