美国国家公共电台 NPR--Biden marks 1 million deaths from COVID-19 in the United States

Biden marks 1 million deaths from COVID-19 in the United States

Transcript¹

President Biden is honoring the loss of at least 1 million deaths from COVID-19 Thursday morning. The ceremony comes as part of an international summit on the pandemic that the White House is hosting.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

President Biden is marking the loss of at least 1 million deaths from COVID-19 this morning. The ceremony comes as part of an international summit on the pandemic the White House is hosting.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Today we mark a tragic² milestone³ here in the United States - 1 million COVID deaths, 1 million empty chairs around the dinner table.

MART?NEZ: Joining us now is NPR health correspondent Rob Stein. Rob, the U.S. has passed many somber⁴ milestones⁵ since this pandemic began more than two years ago. But there's something especially sobering about this one. What's the president saying?

ROB STEIN, BYLINE⁶: Yeah, it is really sobering. But, you know, the first thing I should say is that the U.S. hasn't quite officially hit 1 million yet. The CDC and Johns Hopkins, which is what NPR uses to track the pandemic, are still just short of 1 million. But regardless, the president is asking the nation not to become numb⁷ to the loss - basically, not turn away and to keep up the fight. And, you know, that's because the idea that we've lost at least 1 million people to COVID-19 is obviously so disturbing. I talked about this with Dr. Howard Markel. He's a medical historian at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor⁸.

HOWARD MARKEL: It just boggles the mind, as if our minds needed anymore boggling from this pandemic. It makes me very sad.

STEIN: And, you know, A, everyone agrees that 1 million is just the tip of the iceberg⁹. The true toll¹⁰ is certainly far higher because many deaths from COVID-19 were blamed on something else.

MART?NEZ: So why? Why has the U.S. suffered so much more than maybe other countries?

STEIN: You know, a big part of it is that the nation has neglected its public health system, you know, leaving it woefully unprepared to respond to the threat. And the virus arrived just when our polarized society quickly politicized the pandemic - you know, especially things like masks and lockdowns and, most importantly, vaccinations¹¹. Here's Jessica Malaty Rivera at the Rockefeller Foundation's Pandemic Prevention Institute.

JESSICA MALATY RIVERA: And that hurts. That's really, really devastating¹² to think about - the fact that we now have this incredible tool in our toolkit to very, very successfully prevent things like hospitalization and death, and yet people are still dying from this disease.

STEIN: In fact, you know, at the moment, more than 300 people are still dying every day. And, you know, people are really worried about which direction the pandemic is going to go now.

MART?NEZ: All right, so tell us that then. What's going to happen next with the pandemic?

STEIN: Well, you know, the number of people catching¹³ the virus has been rising again for weeks now, and hospitalizations have started creeping up again. Deaths have stopped falling and, chances are, will probably start increasing again, too, soon. Now, you know, most experts think we probably won't see another huge surge this spring or summer because so many people have gotten vaccinated¹⁴ and infected by now that it's created a kind of wall of immunity¹⁵ that will keep most people from getting so sick that they'll end up in the hospital or die. But big outbreaks could hit, you know, like in the South, this summer when people go back indoors when it gets hot. And most experts do think we will see a significant surge next winter. Here's Michael Osterholm at the University of Minnesota.

MICHAEL OSTERHOLM: Unfortunately, I wish I could think it were the end of the pandemic, but we still have more to go. And the bottom line message is, even though we're done with the virus, it's not done with us.

STEIN: Now, the hope is that we might be transitioning to a phase where the virus starts to become something more like the flu and something, you know, we could kind of learn to live with, but we're not quite there yet. And there's always the danger that yet another even more dangerous variant¹⁶ could erupt at any time.

MART?NEZ: Yikes. All right, before we go, let's take a step back for a second. How big of an impact will this pandemic have long-term?

STEIN: Well, we all know how it's upended virtually every aspect of our lives, and it's hard to predict, you know, the long-term impact. But it's probably going to be profound. I talked about this with Allan Brandt. He's another medical historian at Harvard.

ALLAN BRANDT: We will be living in the age of COVID-19 long after we have greater control over the pandemic. And I do think that, you know, historians and anthropologists, sociologists, economists¹⁷ will be evaluating the impact of this pandemic for the rest of the 21st century.

MART?NEZ: That's NPR health correspondent Rob Stein. Rob, as always, thanks.

STEIN: Sure thing.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

3 milestone   

n.里程碑；划时代的事件

参考例句：

• The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema.事实证明这部影片是电影史上的一个里程碑。
• I think this is a very important milestone in the relations between our two countries.我认为这是我们两国关系中一个十分重要的里程碑。

4 somber   

adj.昏暗的，阴天的，阴森的，忧郁的

参考例句：

• He had a somber expression on his face.他面容忧郁。
• His coat was a somber brown.他的衣服是暗棕色的。

5 milestones   

n.重要事件( milestone的名词复数 )；重要阶段；转折点；里程碑

参考例句：

• Several important milestones in foreign policy have been passed by this Congress and they can be chalked up as major accomplishments. 这次代表大会通过了对外政策中几起划时代的事件，并且它们可作为主要成就记录下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Dale: I really envy your milestones over the last few years, Don. 我真的很羡慕你在过去几年中所建立的丰功伟绩。 来自互联网

6 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

7 numb   

adj.麻木的，失去感觉的；v.使麻木

参考例句：

• His fingers were numb with cold.他的手冻得发麻。
• Numb with cold,we urged the weary horses forward.我们冻得发僵，催着疲惫的马继续往前走。

8 arbor   

n.凉亭；树木

参考例句：

• They sat in the arbor and chatted over tea.他们坐在凉亭里，边喝茶边聊天。
• You may have heard of Arbor Day at school.你可能在学校里听过植树节。

9 iceberg   

n.冰山，流冰，冷冰冰的人

参考例句：

• The ship hit an iceberg and went under.船撞上一座冰山而沉没了。
• The glacier calved a large iceberg.冰河崩解而形成一个大冰山。

10 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

11 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》

12 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

13 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

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 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。

16 variant   

adj.不同的，变异的；n.变体，异体

参考例句：

• We give professional suggestions according to variant tanning stages for each customer.我们针对每位顾客不同的日晒阶段，提供强度适合的晒黑建议。
• In a variant of this approach,the tests are data- driven.这个方法的一个变种，是数据驱动的测试。

17 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》