Moderna has been awarded approximately $590 million from the federal government to help speed up the development of an mRNA-based bird flu vaccine, health officials said.

The latest funding is a sign of how seriously the Biden administration appears to be taking the pandemic threat.

Cases of norovirus infections are surging, but coming up with a way to prevent them has proven to be a challenge.

The U.S. government has awarded Moderna $590 million to advance the development of its bird flu vaccine, as the country doubles down on efforts to tackle increasing infections in humans. This is in addition to $176 million awarded by the U.

The US Department of Health and Human Services will award $590 million to Moderna to continue developing a vaccine to protect against bird flu, the pharmaceutical company announced Friday.

The package will provide additional support for late-stage development and licensure of pre-pandemic mRNA-based vaccines, the company said

As fears grow of a possible bird flu pandemic in humans, the federal government is pouring more money into the development of new vaccines, including an mRNA shot.