"US invests $5 billion to accelerate development of next-gen COVID vaccines and therapies"

The US government is investing over $5 billion in "Project NextGen" to accelerate the development of new COVID-19 vaccines and treatments in collaboration with the private sector. The project aims to provide better protection against future coronaviruses, including variants, and will cover all phases of development, lab research, clinical trials, and delivery. The focus will be on developing long-lasting monoclonal antibodies resistant to new COVID-19 variants and vaccines that produce mucosal immunity and can be administered through the nose to reduce infection and transmission rates.