Coronavirus Stocks Are Zooming Higher Today

The surge in cases and deaths could significantly ramp up demand for these companies' existing and pipeline products.

(July 20) Coronavirus Stocks Are Zooming Higher Today.

So what

The key reason for these increases is simple: Because of its powerful delta variant, the coronavirus is very much on the rise again. According toNew York Timesdata, statistics from Sunday indicate the 14-day change in new cases in the U.S. was a worrying 140% increase, with fatalities rising 33%.

So the need for a harder and wider vaccine push is obvious; such a move would clearly benefit both Moderna and BioNTech. These companies (including BioNTech partner(Pfizer) provide two of only three coronavirus vaccines authorized by the Food and Drug Administration. It should also help Co-Diagnostics, which is a high-profile maker of a COVID-19 testing product.

Now what

If the coronavirus surge continues, it's very possible we'll face an "all hands on deck," situation with vaccines. Perhaps the ones being developed by vaccine-focusedbiotechsNovavax and Vaxart will be authorized by the FDA.

Novavax plans to file for Emergency Use Authorization for itsNVX-CoV2373this quarter, and Vaxart will certainly be on investors' radar due to the oral vaccine it's currently developing -- despite the fact that this program has attracted itsshare of controversy.