美国国家公共电台 NPR--The FDA considers the nation's next round of vaccines to battle COVID-19

The FDA considers the nation's next round of vaccines² to battle COVID-19

Transcript³

The Food and Drug Administration is meeting on Tuesday to make an extremely difficult but important decision: Should vaccines be updated to target the omicron variant⁴?

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

The Food and Drug Administration meets today to plan the nation's next round of vaccines to battle COVID-19. NPR's Rob Stein reports.

ROB STEIN, BYLINE⁵: The most powerful weapons the country has to coexist with the virus are the vaccines. They're what turns a potentially deadly disease into something more like a cold or the flu for many people. And the new technology the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines use gives scientists the power to update the shots quickly by simply reprogramming the genetic⁶ code in the vaccines to match whatever strain poses the biggest threat. And many independent experts think that's exactly what the FDA should do. Here's Deepta Bhattacharya. He's an immunobiologist at the University of Arizona.

DEEPTA BHATTACHARYA: Very clearly, I think what they should be doing is recommending that probably all vaccines include a component⁷ of omicron in there.

STEIN: To update the vaccines for another round of boosters in the fall to protect against what could be yet another dangerous surge this coming winter. But big questions remain. Would it make sense to go with a vaccine¹ that only targets omicron or with a so-called bivalent vaccine that targets both the original strain of the virus and omicron? Moderna and Pfizer and BioNTech say they've developed new vaccines targeting omicron that should provide powerful, potentially longer-lasting protection. But others aren't so sure about switching up the vaccines. John Moore is an immunologist at Weill Cornell Medicine.

JOHN MOORE: Superficially, it sounds good, that this is what should be done because omicron variants⁸ are what is now dominating the U.S. and global pandemic. But the details cast significant doubt on whether switching to an omicron-based vaccine is justified⁹.

STEIN: For starters, the new omicron vaccines appear to only stimulate¹⁰ the immune system to generate slightly higher levels of antibodies that can neutralize¹¹ omicron. So it may make more sense to stick with the original vaccines since they still seem to be protecting most people from getting really sick or dying. Another big concern is the updated vaccines target the original strain of omicron. But new omicron sub-variants that are even better at dodging¹² the immune system have already replaced it. Dr. Peter Hotez is a vaccine expert at the Baylor College of Medicine.

PETER HOTEZ: Omicron is already in the rearview mirror. And it's not clear that that's going to be useful anymore.

STEIN: So the FDA has raised the possibility of going even further, updating the COVID-19 vaccines more like the flu vaccines to anticipate where the virus may be heading. The country could, for example, go with new vaccines that target two new, even more contagious¹³ omicron sub-variants that have just now started taking over in the U.S. known as BA.4 and five. But that raises even more questions. Are we there yet with vaccines that use technology that's still so new to target a virus that's still so unpredictable? Who knows whether an entirely¹⁴ different strain could have taken over by next winter, rendering¹⁵ even that kind of vaccine less effective. Dr. Ofer Levy¹⁶ at Harvard is a member of an FDA advisory¹⁷ committee that will grapple with all of this today.

OFER LEVY: It's a delicate time. It's going to be a complicated deliberation. We don't have all the information we'd like. But we don't get to just sit around and speculate forever and wait for more and more information because the fall, winter are arriving. We have new variants that are spreading rapidly.

STEIN: And while the vaccines can be updated faster than older vaccine technology, it still can't happen overnight. The companies need time to test and then manufacture the millions of doses that would be needed to allow the country to live safely with the virus.

Rob Stein, NPR News.

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1 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

2 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。

3 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

4 variant   

adj.不同的，变异的；n.变体，异体

参考例句：

• We give professional suggestions according to variant tanning stages for each customer.我们针对每位顾客不同的日晒阶段，提供强度适合的晒黑建议。
• In a variant of this approach,the tests are data- driven.这个方法的一个变种，是数据驱动的测试。

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

7 component   

n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的

参考例句：

• Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。

8 variants   

n.变体( variant的名词复数 )；变种；变型；（词等的）变体

参考例句：

• Those variants will be preserved in the'struggle for existence". 这些变异将在“生存竞争”中被保留下来。 来自辞典例句
• Like organisms, viruses have variants, generally called strains. 与其他生物一样，病毒也有变种，一般称之为株系。 来自辞典例句

9 justified   

a.正当的，有理的

参考例句：

• She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
• The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。

10 stimulate   

vt.刺激，使兴奋；激励，使…振奋

参考例句：

• Your encouragement will stimulate me to further efforts.你的鼓励会激发我进一步努力。
• Success will stimulate the people for fresh efforts.成功能鼓舞人们去作新的努力。

11 neutralize   

v.使失效、抵消，使中和

参考例句：

• Nothing could neutralize its good effects.没有什么能抵消它所产生的好影响。
• Acids neutralize alkalis and vice versa.酸能使碱中和碱，亦能使酸中和。

12 dodging   

n.避开，闪过，音调改变v.闪躲( dodge的现在分词 )；回避

参考例句：

• He ran across the road, dodging the traffic. 他躲开来往的车辆跑过马路。
• I crossed the highway, dodging the traffic. 我避开车流穿过了公路。 来自辞典例句

13 contagious   

adj.传染性的，有感染力的

参考例句：

• It's a highly contagious infection.这种病极易传染。
• He's got a contagious laugh.他的笑富有感染力。

14 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

15 rendering   

n.表现，描写

参考例句：

• She gave a splendid rendering of Beethoven's piano sonata.她精彩地演奏了贝多芬的钢琴奏鸣曲。
• His narrative is a super rendering of dialect speech and idiom.他的叙述是方言和土语最成功的运用。

16 levy   

n.征收税或其他款项，征收额

参考例句：

• They levy a tax on him.他们向他征税。
• A direct food levy was imposed by the local government.地方政府征收了食品税。

17 advisory   

adj.劝告的，忠告的，顾问的，提供咨询

参考例句：

• I have worked in an advisory capacity with many hospitals.我曾在多家医院做过顾问工作。
• He was appointed to the advisory committee last month.他上个月获任命为顾问委员会委员。