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Many Americans have now received the COVID-19 vaccines developed by Modern (NASDAQ: ARNM), Pfizer (NYSE: PFE), and Pfizer’s partner BioNTech (NASDAQ: BNTX). However, vaccination efforts are not as advanced as expected. In this Motley Fool Live video recorded on December 23, 2020, Corinne Cardina, head of the health and cannabis office, and Fool.com writer Keith Speights discuss a green flag and a red flag for these coronavirus vaccine deployments .
Corinne Cardina: Keith, starting with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, what’s a green flag and a red flag for investors related to his vaccine rollout so far?
Keith Speights: Well the obvious green flag is that it is being deployed. More and more people are being vaccinated and this is great news. I don’t think there are really any red flags as such at the moment. Maybe a few potential yellow flags.
We have talked in the past, Corinne, that there have been communication issues, miscommunication between the US government and Pfizer, but I think these issues, # 1, are not unusual. This is a massive deployment that happens in a very short time and is to be expected. There are going to be a few issues along the way and certainly not a great long term concern. But it was a little yellow flag that was raised. Again, nothing that particularly concerns me.
Then the other yellow flag maybe, which we really know from the start, is that Pfizer’s vaccine has ultra-cold storage requirements that Moderna’s vaccine does not have, and as a result we see that some states prefer to use Moderna’s vaccine. for some of those hard-to-reach places, instead of Pfizer’s vaccine because of these cold chain requirements. This could be a small glimpse of what could be underway as global vaccine deployments are underway. This could be a bit of bad news for Pfizer as it is at a bit of a competitive disadvantage.
Cardina: Sure, and let’s do the same for Moderna. What is a green flag and a yellow, orange and red flag?
Speights: Well I guess you could flip the coin. The green flag is that deployments are underway and Moderna’s vaccine has fewer logistical challenges due to its formulation which allows it to be stored in standard fridges and freezers, so this is a very good green flag. And at this point, I don’t know of any red flags, Corinne, do I? I was trying to do some research. I haven’t found anything that really jumps like a red flag with Moderna’s vaccine.
Cardina: Yeah, it’s the start. They have time to make communication problems. It’s time to make the headlines about the side effects. But Moderna appears to have a better safety side effect profile than Pfizer-BioNTech. So we will certainly stay tuned for red flags.
Speights: Yeah. Of course, the other thing, too, is that Operation Warp Speed is taking full control of Moderna’s vaccine distribution, while Pfizer has held the reins more tightly, initially at least. This could reduce some of the slowdowns we’ve seen with the Pfizer rollout.
Cardina: Moderna appears to have better relations with the federal government. I know Pfizer has been a bit controversial. Moderna accepted money from Operation Warp Speed. They had no problems with signing the contract; they seem to be in good favor with OWS. File this under the green flag.
Speights: Exactly. It could make some differences along the way.
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