Moderna Aims to Supply COVID Vaccine to China

Moderna Aims to Supply COVID Vaccine¹ to China

China may soon receive Moderna's mRNA vaccine for COVID-19.

The drug company's leader, Stephane Bancel, said Moderna is discussing supplying China with vaccines².

Bancel spoke³ with the Reuters news agency at the World Economic Forum⁴ (WEF) meeting this week in Davos, Switzerland. Moderna is based in the United States.

Bancel said he is also talking with Chinese officials about factories and other health products, including cancer treatments.

"What I really want to understand is how do we help the Chinese government (address) the needs they have from a healthcare standpoint," he said.

Bancel did not say anything more about the plan, except for that he hopes to visit China this year.

China so far has only permitted its own vaccines for COVID-19. The country is currently experiencing a surge of infections after it ended the severe restrictions⁵ of its "zero COVID" policy in late 2022.

The Chinese vaccines do not use the latest technology. Instead of using mRNA like the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, they use the inactive form of the virus.

International health experts believe the upcoming Lunar New Year celebrations may create an even larger virus outbreak. Many Chinese people living in cities return to their hometowns for celebrations. Some rural areas do not have good hospitals and medical centers.

Moderna's Bancel said his company is also working with Merck on using mRNA technology to treat cancer. They are researching an experimental vaccine for melanoma, the most serious kind of skin cancer.

In a group discussion at the WEF, Bancel said he wants Moderna to have factories around the world working on mRNA vaccines. He said Moderna is building, or plans to build, factories in Canada, Australia, Britain and Kenya.

Words in This Story

standpoint –n. a way in which something is thought about or considered

surge –n. a fast increase

outbreak –n. the sudden spread of disease or violence

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 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

5 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制