VOA慢速英语--一些专家对印度的疫苗审批程序表示担忧

Several groups representing scientists and doctors have expressed concerns over India's vaccine¹ approval process.

The concerns come after India approved a vaccine by Indian drugmaker Bharat Biotech. The vaccine was approved for emergency use on January 3, before it had completed late clinical trials.

Late clinical trial data gives evidence about how effective a vaccine is in preventing illness from coronavirus infections.

Many scientists have warned that approving a vaccine without evidence from late trials is risky². And a lack of clarity in the approval process could lead many people to delay getting the vaccine or to refuse to get it at all.

More than 10.4 million coronavirus cases have been reported among India's nearly 1.4 billion people.

Two Vaccines³

Bharat Biotech's vaccine was one of two that India approved for emergency use. The second was a form of the AstraZeneca vaccine. It is made by the world's largest vaccine manufacturer, Serum⁴ Institute of India. Serum Institute's vaccine was approved because of partial results from studies in Britain and Brazil that showed it was about 70 percent effective.

At first, a member of India's COVID-19 task force said the Bharat Biotech vaccine would be used as a "backup."

Backup is a term that means something can be used to replace or support another person or thing.

But on January 5, health officials said Bharat Biotech's vaccine would be made available to people who give their permission. People given the vaccine will also need to get follow-up visits.

The move suggests India will send out both vaccines. But it remains⁵ unclear which states will receive which vaccine and for what reasons.

On January 16, India will begin giving vaccines to an estimated 30 million doctors, nurses and other front line workers.

After that, the shots will start going to around 270 million Indians who are either over age 50 or have other health issues, sometimes called "co-morbidities."

China and Russia have also released vaccines while late clinical trials were still going on. But India, which is the world's largest manufacturer of vaccines, has drawn⁶ criticism for not being clear in its approval process and for using two different standards. A standard is a level of quality that is considered acceptable.

The group of experts that approved the vaccines met three times. In the first two meetings, on Dec. 30 and Jan. 1, they were not pleased with Bharat Biotech's application. They asked for more data on its ability to prevent illness from COVID-19, notes from the meeting show. The AstraZeneca vaccine, meanwhile, was approved on Jan. 1.

Notes from the Jan. 2 meeting show that the company presented "updated data." But it is not clear what new evidence led the experts to change their minds.

Dr. Vineeta Bal of India's National Institute of Immunology noted⁷ the need for transparent⁸ approvals that include data to confirm vaccine effectiveness.

"This is a process that Indian government officials are themselves sabotaging," she said.

India's top drug official would not comment on the issue. The identities of the experts that approved the vaccines have not been made public.

Balram Bhargava heads the Indian Council of Medical Research. He said the "restricted use" of a vaccine on the basis of data from early clinical trials is legally possible in a pandemic. The group is a co-sponsor of the clinical trials.

Words in This Story

clinical trial – n. a kind of research study in which human subjects are assigned to one or more treatments in order for researchers to study the effects of those treatments.

task force – n. a group of people who deal with a specific problem

application – n. an official request for something, usually made in writing

update – v. give someone the most recent information

transparent – adj. open an honest, without secrets

sabotage⁹ – v. to destroy or damage (something) so that it does not work correctly

sponsor – n. a person or organization that pays the cost of an activity or event

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 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

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 serum   

n.浆液，血清，乳浆

参考例句：

• The serum is available to the general public.一般公众均可获得血清。
• Untreated serum contains a set of 11 proteins called complement.未经处理的血清含有一组蛋白质，共11种，称为补体。

5 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

6 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

7 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。

8 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

9 sabotage   

n.怠工，破坏活动，破坏；v.从事破坏活动，妨害，破坏

参考例句：

• They tried to sabotage my birthday party.他们企图破坏我的生日晚会。
• The fire at the factory was caused by sabotage.那家工厂的火灾是有人蓄意破坏引起的。