MRNA Stock Clocks Best Day In Over Two Months On Early-Stage Hantavirus Vaccine Research

• Bloomberg reported on Friday that Moderna’s hantavirus research is “early-stage and ongoing” and began well before the cruise-ship cluster was identified. 
• No hantavirus vaccine is currently approved anywhere in the world, and human clinical trials for Moderna’s candidates have not yet begun.
• Moderna’s vaccine sales have undergone a dramatic post-pandemic decline.

Shares of Moderna Inc. (MRNA) closed 12% higher on Friday, clocking its best day in over two months, after the company confirmed it has been pursuing early-stage research into mRNA-based vaccines against hantaviruses.

Moderna’s ongoing hantavirus efforts, reported by Bloomberg, coincide with heightened public attention on a rare outbreak linked to the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius. According to the World Health Organization’s Disease Outbreak News report issued earlier this week, seven cases — two laboratory-confirmed hantavirus infections and five suspected — have been identified among passengers and crew.

Three people have died, one remains critically ill, and others have reported fever, gastrointestinal symptoms, and rapid progression to pneumonia. Illness onsets occurred between early April and late April 2026 during the ship’s voyage from Ushuaia, Argentina, through Antarctic waters and across the South Atlantic; the vessel is now anchored off Cape Verde.

Moderna’s Hantavirus Efforts

Bloomberg reported on Friday that Moderna’s hantavirus research is “early-stage and ongoing” and began well before the cruise-ship cluster was identified.

The company has conducted preclinical work on hantaviruses in collaboration with the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) and is partnering with the Vaccine Innovation Center at Korea University College of Medicine through its mRNA Access Program to develop a potential immunization, the report said.  

No hantavirus vaccine is currently approved anywhere in the world, and human clinical trials for Moderna’s candidates have not yet begun. Public-health officials, including the WHO, have described the broader risk to the general population as low, noting that hantaviruses are primarily rodent-borne and human-to-human transmission is uncommon.

Moderna’s vaccine sales have undergone a dramatic post-pandemic decline. The company generated a record $19.26 billion in total revenue in 2022, almost entirely from its COVID-19 vaccine Spikevax. Sales then collapsed more than 64% to $6.85 billion in 2023 and fell another 53% to $3.24 billion in 2024 as global demand normalized and advance-purchase agreements ended. Revenue continued to slide in 2025, dropping 40% to $1.94 billion.

How Did MRNA Retail Traders React?

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around MRNA jumped from ‘bullish’ to ‘extremely bullish’ over the past 24 hours, while message volume increased from ‘high’ to ‘extremely high’ levels.

A Stocktwits user expressed optimism for the stock rally upto $250/ share, levels previously touched at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Another user voiced optimism for the stock breaching $60/share as early as Monday.

MRNA stock has gained 123% over the past 12 months

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