VOA慢速英语--英国批准牛津-阿斯利康新冠疫苗投入使用

Britain on Wednesday approved use of Oxford¹ University and drugmaker AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine².

The shot has been described as the "vaccine for the world" because of its lower cost and easier storage requirements. It does not require extreme-cold storage that some other approved coronavirus vaccines³ need.

Anna Marriot is Health Policy Manager at the aid group Oxfam. She praised the approval of the vaccine, saying, "This wonderful news brings renewed hope at a time of rising infections and unprecedented⁴ pressure on health services in the U.K. and beyond."

Britain's Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency recommended the AstraZeneca vaccine for emergency use.

Infections and hospitalizations in Britain are rising quickly. In addition, health officials earlier this month identified a new, possibly more easily spread version of the virus. The new form has now been found in several countries, including the United States. As a result, British officials have decided⁵ to give a first dose of vaccine to as many people as possible to offer some level of protection to the public.

As part of that effort, medical workers are to provide either of two approved vaccines: one from Oxford-AstraZeneca or one from Pfizer and BioNTech. Both vaccine treatments require two doses for full effectiveness. Officials say both vaccine treatments protect people even after just one of the two recommended doses.

Wei Shen Lim is chair of the Joint⁶ Committee on Vaccination⁷ and Immunisation in Britain. He told reporters Wednesday, "The immediate⁸ urgency is for rapid and high levels of vaccine uptake."

Hundreds of thousands of people in Britain have already received at least one dose of the vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech. British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said AstraZeneca vaccinations⁹ will start January 4. Officials say everyone who gets a first shot of either vaccine should get a second shot within 12 weeks of the first.

However, Pfizer said that any "alternative" dosing methods should be tracked by health officials. It noted¹⁰ that two doses are needed for the highest level of protection against infection. The company added it has no data to show that protection from one dose lasts longer than 21 days.

Early results from studies in almost 24,000 people in Britain, Brazil and South Africa suggest the AstraZeneca vaccine is safe. The drugmaker says the vaccine is about 70 percent effective for preventing illness from coronavirus infection.

However, questions remain about how well the vaccine protects older people. Only 12 percent of study subjects were over 55. They also entered the study later, so there has not been enough time to observe whether they develop infections at a lower rate than those not given the vaccine.

A vaccine for the world

Beyond Britain, there are hopes the AstraZeneca shot will offer a path out of the pandemic. The extreme-cold needed to store other vaccines is "very impractical¹¹" in developing countries, said Dr. Gillies O'Bryan-Tear. He is chair of policy and communications for Britain's Faculty¹² of Pharmaceutical¹³ Medicine. He noted that the AstraZeneca vaccine "may reach more parts of the world than the Pfizer one."

The World Health Organization could soon approve the AstraZeneca vaccine for use in a worldwide effort to help poor countries. The effort, called COVAX, has secured at least 100 million doses of the vaccine. But none can be provided until approved by the WHO.

The United Nations health agency does not control vaccines. Instead, the WHO waits until a health regulator has approved them. After that step, WHO experts can recommend that vaccines be given early approval so donors¹⁴ can buy them for developing countries.

Words in This Story

dose –n. the amount of a medicine or vaccination needed to protect against or treat disease

rapid –adj. happening at a fast rate

alternative –adj. offering another choice

track –v. to follow and observe the progress of something

illness –n. sickness; disease

impractical –adj. not easy to do or use

recommend –v. to suggest an act or action

regulator –n. a group that is part of a government that can make and enforce rules related to public activity

1 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

2 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。

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 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

7 vaccination   

n.接种疫苗，种痘

参考例句：

• Vaccination is a preventive against smallpox.种痘是预防天花的方法。
• Doctors suggest getting a tetanus vaccination every ten years.医生建议每十年注射一次破伤风疫苗。

8 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

9 vaccinations   

n.种痘，接种( vaccination的名词复数 )；牛痘疤

参考例句：

• Vaccinations ensure one against diseases. 接种疫苗可以预防疾病。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I read some publicity about vaccinations while waiting my turn at the doctor's. 在医生那儿候诊时，我读了一些关于接种疫苗的宣传。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

11 impractical   

adj.不现实的，不实用的，不切实际的

参考例句：

• He was hopelessly impractical when it came to planning new projects.一到规划新项目，他就完全没有了实际操作的能力。
• An entirely rigid system is impractical.一套完全死板的体制是不实际的。

12 faculty   

n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员

参考例句：

• He has a great faculty for learning foreign languages.他有学习外语的天赋。
• He has the faculty of saying the right thing at the right time.他有在恰当的时候说恰当的话的才智。

13 pharmaceutical   

adj.药学的，药物的；药用的，药剂师的

参考例句：

• She has donated money to establish a pharmaceutical laboratory.她捐款成立了一个药剂实验室。
• We are engaged in a legal tussle with a large pharmaceutical company.我们正同一家大制药公司闹法律纠纷。

14 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》