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.

The U.S. government has awarded Moderna $590 million to advance the late-stage development of its mRNA bird flu vaccine, as the country doubles down on efforts to tackle increasing infections in humans.