As Delta spreads, Pfizer and Moderna get set for a booster shot to profits

The firms are already taking the lion's share of earnings from the market, as this week's results will show

Praised for preventing hundreds of thousands of deaths and allowing a return to more normal life, Covid vaccines will also substantially benefit some pharmaceutical companies.

In June, analysts estimated the global market for the vaccines could be worth $70bn (50bn) this year, but the figure could be even higher as the Delta variant of coronavirus spreads and scientists debate whether people will need booster shots.