VOA慢速英语--英国采用辉瑞疫苗，美国证实其安全性、有效性

Britain administered the world's first fully¹ tested and approved COVID-19 vaccine² to citizen Margaret Keenan on Tuesday.

"I feel so privileged to be the first person vaccinated⁴ against COVID-19," said Keenan, who turns 91 next week. "It's the best early birthday present I could wish for because it means I can finally look forward to spending time with my family and friends in the New Year after being on my own for most of the year."

Prime Minister Boris Johnson called the first injection "a shot in the arm for an entire nation" as British officials prepared to vaccinate³ 400,000 more people.

American drug-maker Pfizer and Germany's BioNTech developed the vaccine. Britain is first providing the vaccine to healthcare workers and people over age 80 in hospitals or under other immediate⁵ medical treatment.

Last week, Britain became the first country to approve the vaccine for emergency use.

U.S. confirms vaccine safety and efficacy

In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a document Tuesday confirming that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was strongly effective against COVID-19.

The FDA released the documents as it prepares to rule on Pfizer's emergency use request of the vaccine this Thursday.

Pfizer and BioNTech reported that its treatment appeared to be 95 percent effective against COVID-19 in a large study of 44,000 volunteers. They said only eight volunteers who had received the two-shot treatment were among the 170 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

The FDA report says the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was 52 percent effective against COVID-19 after one shot. The efficacy rate rose to 95 percent after volunteers were given the second shot three weeks later.

The agency added that the test vaccinations⁷ raised "no specific safety concerns" linked to age, race, ethnicity, weight or medical conditions of recipients⁸. Many volunteers in the study reported minor⁹ side effects, including tiredness and moderate pain, after the shots.

The study, however, did not include people under the age of 16 or pregnant women. It also does not provide an answer on how long the shots would protect people after vaccination⁶.

The FDA's vaccine advisory¹⁰ committee is to meet Thursday for a public discussion of Pfizer's emergency use request. On December 17, the committee plans to examine findings of another COVID-19 vaccine trial from American drug-maker Moderna.

Both vaccines¹¹ from Pfizer and Moderna are made with a technology called messenger RNA, or mRNA. They do not contain an inactive or weakened virus like traditional vaccines.

To make an mRNA vaccine, scientists create a genetic¹² material that directs the human body to produce antibodies that can recognize and destroy the new coronavirus.

Other vaccine news

The Oxford-AstraZeneca partnership¹³ also published COVID-19 vaccine trial results Tuesday. The findings appeared in the British medical publication, The Lancet.

The trial found the treatment was 62 percent effective among volunteers given two full doses of the vaccine. Among those who received a half-dose followed by a full dose, the vaccine was 90 percent effective against the disease.

The study said, "(This) will require further research as more data becomes available from the trial."

The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is less costly¹⁴ to produce and easier to transport than the mRNA-based vaccines. Based on agreements with the U.S. government, vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer will cost between $15 and $25 a treatment. Oxford-AstraZeneca's vaccine will cost under four dollars.

On Saturday, Russia began vaccinating¹⁵ thousands of doctors, teachers and others with its Sputnik V vaccine. China has also begun a vaccination campaign. The country is also selling its vaccine to other nations, including Turkey, Brazil and Indonesia.

The Russian and Chinese vaccines did not complete full medical trials that scientists consider necessary for safe and effective use.

Words in This Story

privileged - adj. having special rights or advantages that most do not have

specific - adj. clearly or exactly presented or stated

dose - n. the amount of medicine that is given or taken at one time

1 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

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 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。

4 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？

5 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。

6 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。

7 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》

8 recipients   

adj.接受的；受领的；容纳的；愿意接受的n.收件人；接受者；受领者；接受器

参考例句：

• The recipients of the prizes had their names printed in the paper. 获奖者的姓名登在报上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The recipients of prizes had their names printed in the paper. 获奖者名单登在报上。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

9 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

10 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。

11 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。

12 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。

13 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

14 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。

15 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。