Can the Pfizer and Moderna Vaccines Beat the New Coronavirus Strains?

Investors in Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) and Moderna (NASDAQ: MRNA) may have breathed a sigh of relief when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted the companies' coronavirus vaccines Emergency Use Authorization in December. Over the past few weeks, new strains have emerged: a strain found in the U.K., one that started in South Africa, and more recently new strains in Japan and in Columbus, Ohio. Now, the big question is whether the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines can protect against these new versions of the coronavirus.