Shares of Vaxart (NASDAQ: VXRT) were vaulting 10.8% higher as of 11:38 a.m. EDT on Monday after rising as much as 22.9% earlier in the day. The gain appears to be continued momentum from last Friday, when Vaxart's COVID-19 vaccine was selected to participate in the U.S. government's Operation Warp Speed initiative to rapidly develop a safe and effective novel coronavirus vaccine.
Investors have been eager to buy shares of any company that receives positive publicity about its COVID-19 program. Vaxart's inclusion in Operation Warp Speed was exactly the kind of publicity the small biotech needed.
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