VOA慢速英语2020--印度准备生产疫苗

India is the world's biggest vaccine¹ maker², and it is getting ready for the worldwide effort to contain the coronavirus crisis.

India manufactures more than 60 percent of all vaccines³ sold across the world. While its $40 billion drug industry is not yet involved in the production of the expensive Pfizer Inc and Moderna shots, the country will play an important job in immunizing much of the world.

Indian companies are set to produce eight less costly⁴ vaccines that are designed to fight COVID-19, including AstraZeneca's Covishield. Its developers call it the "vaccine for the world."

Barry O'Farrell is Australia's ambassador to India. O'Farrell, along with other diplomats⁵, recently visited vaccine manufacturing areas in India. He said that only one country could meet the demands "of citizens in every country, and that's India."

Serum⁶ Institute of India, SII, is the world's biggest vaccine maker. It has already stored more than 50 million doses of the AstraZeneca shot. The shot still awaits emergency-use approvals from both British and Indian officials.

SII plans to make a total of 400 million doses of Covishield by July. It is setting up new production lines to make around one billion shots a year. Meanwhile, drug company Schott Kaisha is increasing production of vaccine vials. Vials are small glass or plastic containers for medicines.

Deutsche Post's DHL, a delivery company, is working out the best way to send out the shots within the country and around the world.

"Because of the large volumes coming out of India and of course the affordable⁷ vaccines, there is no other country that will contribute more towards ending the pandemic than India," SII CEO Adar Poonawalla told the Reuters news agency recently.

Much of India's vaccine production could be, at least at first, for local use. With nearly 10 million infections, India has the world's second-highest rate, following the United States with the highest. India's government is likely to order a large amount of the vaccines for its 1.3 billion people.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not yet said exactly how much India will need. But his government has said some vaccines may be approved in the next few weeks. Poonawalla said he expects to sell hundreds of millions of doses at home. Nearly half of its production could go overseas, the company has said.

India's Bharat Biotech has asked for emergency approval for its government-backed vaccine candidate. The company is in talks to sell its product to more than 10 countries in South America, Asia and Eastern Europe. Russia, meanwhile, has signed deals with Indian companies that will make the country the production and export center for its Sputnik V vaccine.

Many companies in India's vaccine supply industries are making investments without signed agreements. "We've taken a calculated risk," said Rishad Dadachanji, a director at Schott Kaisha. Calculated is a term that means carefully planned.

Schott Kaisha is increasing its yearly manufacturing ability to 1.5 billion vials by November. That is around 300 million more vials than it currently produces. Leaders at rival companies SGD Pharma India and Piramal Glass said they were widening their production base. But because the Indian government has not yet signed any agreements with vaccine suppliers, some companies have been left guessing what kind of products they should make for the coming distribution.

Vial maker SGD's managing director, Sardar Akshay Singh, warned that a last-minute move to secure vaccines for India could affect exports.

"We have been feeding the government a lot of information, but they've not come up with a plan so far," said Sunil Nair. He is CEO of Snowman.

Words in This Story

immunize – v. to give (someone) a vaccine to prevent infection by a disease

dose – n. the amount of a medicine, drug, or vitamin that is taken at one time

delivery – n. the act of taking something to a person or place

volume – n. an amount of something

affordable – adj. not costing too much money

contribute – v. to help to cause something to happen

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 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

3 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。

4 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

5 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 serum   

n.浆液，血清，乳浆

参考例句：

• The serum is available to the general public.一般公众均可获得血清。
• Untreated serum contains a set of 11 proteins called complement.未经处理的血清含有一组蛋白质，共11种，称为补体。

7 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。