VOA慢速英语--为什么印度尼西亚要先为劳动者接种疫苗

Why Indonesia Is Vaccinating¹ Its Working Population First

Indonesia has decided² to give COVID-19 vaccinations⁴ to working age adults before older citizens.

The plans differ from vaccination³ programs in countries such as the United States and Britain, which give priority to older individuals who face a higher risk of death from the disease.

Indonesia's program aims to vaccinate⁵ adults 18-59 after health care workers and public servants. The government hopes the program will help the population reach "herd⁶ immunity⁷" faster and improve the country's economy.

The Mayo Clinic notes that herd immunity happens when a large percentage of a community, the herd, becomes immune to a disease, making the spread from person to person unlikely. As a result, the whole community becomes protected, not just those who are immune.

Why 18-59 year-olds first?

Indonesia plans to begin its program with a vaccine⁸ developed by China's Sinovac Biotech. Health officials say they do not yet have enough information on the effectiveness of the vaccine on older people. Trials carried out in Indonesia have involved people aged⁹ 18-59.

Health ministry¹⁰ official Siti Nadia Tarmizi told the Reuters news agency the government will wait for guidance from the country's drug regulators before deciding on vaccination plans for older individuals.

Britain and the United States began their vaccination programs with a shot developed by Pfizer-BioNTech that showed a high rate of effectiveness in people of all ages.

So far, Indonesia has only been able to secure the Sinovac vaccine. The Southeast Asian nation has a deal to receive 125.5 million doses of Sinovac's CoronaVac shot. A first shipment of 3 million doses has already arrived.

The first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine are not expected to arrive in Indonesia until the third quarter. A vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford¹¹ University is expected to be released in the second quarter.

Peter Collignon is a professor of infectious diseases at Australian National University. He said that while Indonesia's vaccination plans could slow spread of the disease, it may not affect death rates.

But Collignon noted¹² that because Indonesia's vaccination program is different from the U.S. and Europe, it can be very valuable.

"Because it will tell us (whether) you'll see a more dramatic effect in Indonesia than Europe or the U.S. because of the strategy they're doing," he said.

Professor Dale Fisher is with the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore. He told Reuters he understands the reasoning behind Indonesia's plans. "Younger working adults are generally more active, more social and travel more so this strategy should decrease community transmission faster than vaccinating older individuals," Fisher said.

Can it lead to quick herd immunity?

Government officials hope the strategy of vaccinating more socially and economically active individuals can quickly lead to herd immunity.

Indonesia's health minister has said the country needs to vaccinate 181.5 million people, or about 67 percent of its population, to reach herd immunity. The government believes this would require almost 427 million doses of vaccines¹³.

Some experts question whether the plan could quickly lead to herd immunity. They say more research is needed to find out whether or not vaccinated¹⁴ people can pass on the virus.

"There could be the risk of people still capable of spreading the disease to the others," said Hasbullah Thabrany, chief of Indonesia's Health Economic Association.

Will it help economic recovery?

Economists¹⁵ have argued that a successful vaccination program covering around 100 million people will help energize¹⁷ the economy. They say this is because vaccinated individuals are more likely to return to economic activity such as spending and production.

Faisal Rachman, an economist¹⁶ with Bank Mandiri, said the 18-59 age group has consumption needs that are higher than other groups. Such individuals, he said, could help fuel a faster economic recovery because household consumption makes up more than 50 percent of Indonesia's economy.

The pandemic pushed Indonesia, Southeast Asia's largest economy, into its first recession in more than two decades.

Words in This Story

priority – n. something that is very important and that must be dealt with before other things

immune – adj. having special protection from something; of or relating to the body's immune system

regulator – n. a person or organization that creates rules for a system or government

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

dramatic – adj. very sudden or noticeable

strategy – n. a plan used to achieve a particular goal

capable – adj. able to do things effectively and achieve results

consumption – n. the amount of something that someone uses, eats or drinks

1 vaccinating   

给…接种疫苗( vaccinate的现在分词 )； 注射疫苗，接种疫苗

参考例句：

• At first blush, vaccinating the wolves against rabies seems a simple solution. 乍一看来，为狼群注射防狂犬病疫苗是一种简单的办法。
• Also vaccinating children against misers (measles) has saved many lives. 还有，给儿童进行疫苗接种防止麻疹也挽救了许多生命。

2 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。

3 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。

4 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》

5 vaccinate   

vt.给…接种疫苗；种牛痘

参考例句：

• Local health officials then can plan the best times to vaccinate people.这样，当地的卫生官员就可以安排最佳时间给人们接种疫苗。
• Doctors vaccinate us so that we do not catch smallpox.医生给我们打预防针使我们不会得天花。

6 herd   

n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• He had no opinions of his own but simply follow the herd.他从无主见，只是人云亦云。

7 immunity   

n.优惠；免除；豁免，豁免权

参考例句：

• The law gives public schools immunity from taxation.法律免除公立学校的纳税义务。
• He claims diplomatic immunity to avoid being arrested.他要求外交豁免以便避免被捕。

8 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。

9 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

10 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

11 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。

12 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。

13 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。

14 vaccinated   

[医]已接种的，种痘的，接种过疫菌的

参考例句：

• I was vaccinated against tetanus. 我接种了破伤风疫苗。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child? 你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？

15 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

17 energize   

vt.给予(某人或某物)精力、能量

参考例句：

• It is used to energize the city.它的作用是为城市供给能量。
• This is a great way to energize yourself and give yourself more power!这种方法非常棒，可以激活你的能量，让你有更多的活力！