Health-care companies rose amid anticipation of more vaccine developments.

Anthony Fauci, the leading U.S. infectious disease expert, said the threat from the Omicron variant of Covid 19 intensified the urgency for distributing vaccines.

Shares of vaccine developer Moderna rose by more than 11% after an executive told the BBC that the company could have a new vaccine in circulation by early next year, in the case that the omicron variant proves resistant to current Covid-19 shots.

Covid-19 infection rates are rising in many parts of the nation and the world, even as a new strain suddenly emerged. The new variant has created another threat to the U.S. pandemic response, even as new Covid-19 infections reached around 90,000 a day and millions of people spent the past week gathering with family and friends.

Write to Rob Curran at rob.curran@dowjones.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

11-29-21 1725ET