The public health risk remains low, but bird flu variants have proven to be unpredictable, which is why the virus is a top priority for the federal government.

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 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.