Topic: How To Invest

Q: Hi, Pat. What do you think of Moderna as a stock to buy, especially in light of the new Omicron variant of COVID-19? Thanks.

Article Excerpt

A: Moderna Inc., $272.83, symbol MRNA on Nasdaq (Shares outstanding: 405.4 million; Market cap: $107.6 billion; www.modernatx.com), develops messenger RNA (ribonucleic acid) vaccines and therapeutics for infectious diseases, immuno-oncology, rare diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and auto-immune diseases. However, the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company is best known for its mRNA-1273 COVID-19 vaccine (Spikevax is the commercial name). The company expects to deliver between 700 million and 800 million doses worldwide for the 12 months ended December 31, 2021. On November 26, 2021, Moderna laid out its strategy to deal with the Omicron variant, which is being studied by scientists to determine its rate of transmissibility and the severity of disease. Notably, while it’s early, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said that anyone previously infected by COVID-19 could be more susceptible to reinfection with Omicron than with Delta and the other variants. Canada already has some confirmed cases of people infected with the Omicron variant. Moderna has been working since the beginning of 2021 to develop effective…