VOA慢速英语2020--中国批准首个新冠通用疫苗

China has approved its first COVID-19 vaccine¹ for general public use.

The vaccine was developed by state-owned company Sinopharm. The shots had already been approved for emergency use for groups such as health care professionals and essential workers. But the approval for the general public came on New Year's Eve.

China has launched a program with an aim of vaccinating² 50 million people before the Lunar New Year holiday in February.

The approval of the Sinopharm vaccine will permit China to build up large supplies at home. It also moves the country closer to being able to ship the vaccine to other countries.

China's approval came one day after Britain approved a vaccine developed by Oxford³ University and drugmaker AstraZeneca. The AstraZeneca vaccine is less costly⁴ and easier to store and use than shots developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.

The AstraZeneca and Sinopharm shots have been closely watched by developing countries. Many of those countries have not been able to secure the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines⁵ because they are being sent mainly to rich nations.

Pakistan's science minister said his government planned to buy 1.2 million doses of the Sinopharm vaccine, two days after the country's COVID-19 death total reached 10,000.

China's approval of the Sinopharm vaccine came the day after the company announced that early data from late-stage trials had shown the shots to be 79.3 percent effective. However, the announcement did not identify the size of the control group, how many people were vaccinated⁶ or at what point the effective rate was reached after the vaccine was given. Health experts have called for more data on the trials to be shared.

The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines performed in trials with success rates higher than 90 percent.

Technically⁷, China gave conditional⁸ approval to the Sinopharm vaccine, meaning that research and trials are still going on. An official from China's National Medical Products Administration told reporters the company will be required to prepare follow-up data and reports of any adverse⁹ effects after the vaccine is sold on the market.

Sinopharm, which is also working on another shot, is one of at least five Chinese developers involved in a worldwide race to create vaccines for COVID-19. While the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna shots have been welcomed in the West, those shots are more temperature sensitive and require extremely cold storage.

The Sinopharm vaccine, like the AstraZeneca one, could be easier for countries around the world to handle since they can be stored at normal refrigerator temperatures. Both shots, as well as Russia's Sputnik V, are expected to supply much of the developing world. That means the cost will also be important.

AstraZeneca is expected to cost about $2.50 a dose, while Russia has said its will be priced at $10 for the worldwide market. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine costs about $20 a dose, while Moderna's is $15 to $25, based on agreements with the U.S. government.

Chinese officials have not yet named a price for its Sinopharm vaccine and have given conflicting statements about it. One official said it would be affordable¹⁰ for the Chinese public, but another suggested it would be free. President Xi Jinping has promised to donate a Chinese-made vaccine as a public good to the world.

The Sinopharm shot is already under mass production, but officials have not yet named its current capacity. The vaccine has already been approved in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, and is also set to be used in Morocco.

Other countries have also been buying doses of another Chinese vaccine candidate, made by Sinovac Biotech. Turkey recently received shipments of 3 million doses of that vaccine, and Indonesia and Brazil have also bought supplies.

Belarus and Argentina both recently launched mass vaccination¹¹ campaigns using the Russian-developed Sputnik V shots.

Words in This Story

essential – adj. very important and necessary

dose – n. the amount of a medicine or vaccine that is needed to be effective against disease

adverse – adj. having a negative or harmful effect on something

refrigerator – n. a device or room that is used to keep things cold

affordable – adj. not costly

capacity – n. the total amount of something that can be contained or produced

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 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。

3 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。

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 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。

6 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？

7 technically   

adv.专门地，技术上地

参考例句：

• Technically it is the most advanced equipment ever.从技术上说，这是最先进的设备。
• The tomato is technically a fruit,although it is eaten as a vegetable.严格地说，西红柿是一种水果，尽管它是当作蔬菜吃的。

8 conditional   

adj.条件的，带有条件的

参考例句：

• My agreement is conditional on your help.你肯帮助我才同意。
• There are two forms of most-favored-nation treatment:conditional and unconditional.最惠国待遇有两种形式:有条件的和无条件的。

9 adverse   

adj.不利的；有害的；敌对的，不友好的

参考例句：

• He is adverse to going abroad.他反对出国。
• The improper use of medicine could lead to severe adverse reactions.用药不当会产生严重的不良反应。

10 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。

11 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。