美国国家公共电台 NPR--FDA advisors recommend the Novavax COVID vaccine

FDA advisors¹ recommend the Novavax COVID vaccine²

Transcript³

The Food and Drug Administration advisory⁴ committee recommends the agency authorize⁵ another COVID-19 vaccine in the hopes it might entice⁶ more people to get vaccinated⁷.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

The United States is close to approving another COVID-19 vaccine. A Food and Drug Administration advisory committee recommended that the agency authorize it. NPR health correspondent Rob Stein told us this vaccine works differently than others.

ROB STEIN, BYLINE⁸: It's what's known as a protein subunit vaccine because it works by injecting a protein from the virus along with a substance called an adjuvant, which kind of turbocharges the immune reaction to that protein. And a study involving about 30,000 people found two shots of the vaccine three weeks apart was about 90% effective at protecting people against COVID-19.

INSKEEP: Isn't that about the same as the vaccines⁹ we already have?

STEIN: Yeah, you're right. This Novavax vaccine looks like it probably works just about as well as the Moderna and the Pfizer-BioNTech injections. But the Novavax vaccine works in an entirely¹⁰ different way. It uses that much more traditional approach, a strategy that's been used for decades to make many other vaccines. So the hope is that it just may make it more appealing to some of the millions of people who still haven't gotten vaccinated, you know, people who just don't like the idea of using the brand-new mRNA technology that the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines use. Those vaccines inject genetic¹¹ coding that turns cells its little factories that churn out a protein from the virus, and that makes some people nervous and has been the fodder¹² for lots of misinformation that has made some people avoid getting vaccinated. Now, the FDA says the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines are very safe, but here's how Dr. Peter Marks from the FDA put it during a daylong meeting of the agency's outside advisers¹³ yesterday.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PETER MARKS: A protein-based alternative may be more comfortable for some in terms of their acceptance of vaccine.

STEIN: Now, some experts are skeptical¹⁴ that this distinction will make much of a difference. And there are still some questions about the Novavax vaccine. It may cause the same kind of rare inflammation of the heart that sometimes occurs in people who get the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines. Here's Dr. Arthur Reingold from the University of California, Berkeley, one of the FDA's advisers who endorsed¹⁵ the vaccine at the meeting.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

ARTHUR REINGOLD: I'm hoping to be proven wrong and that there are large numbers of people who sign up for this vaccine who wouldn't take an mRNA vaccine, but count me as skeptical about that.

STEIN: It's also unclear how well the Novavax vaccine works against the omicron variant¹⁶, since that strain wasn't circulating when the vaccine was tested. Several omicron subvariants are now dominant¹⁷ in the U.S., including two that are now on the rise that are even better at dodging¹⁸ the immune system.

INSKEEP: OK, I guess we don't have final-final approval then for this new Novavax vaccine. What happens next?

STEIN: That's right. That's right. The FDA will now have to decide whether to go along with the advisory committee's recommendation and authorize the vaccine. It doesn't have to, but it usually does. And if the FDA does greenlight the Novavax vaccine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will weigh in with recommendations about how best to use it. We'll also have to see how much of this vaccine will actually become available. One of the reasons this vaccine wasn't authorized¹⁹ sooner was the company has had problems ramping²⁰ up production. But another role this vaccine might be able to play is as a booster. The federal government's planning another big booster campaign in the fall to try to protect people against another potential surge next winter, and the Novavax vaccine might end up being one of the options for that.

INSKEEP: Rob, thanks very much for your reporting.

STEIN: Sure thing. It's always a pleasure, Steve.

INSKEEP: That's NPR's Rob Stein.

1 advisors   

n.顾问，劝告者( advisor的名词复数 )；（指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• The governors felt that they were being strung along by their advisors. 地方长官感到他们一直在受顾问们的愚弄。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• We will consult together with advisors about her education. 我们将一起和专家商议她的教育事宜。 来自互联网

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 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。

4 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。

5 authorize   

v.授权，委任；批准，认可

参考例句：

• He said that he needed to get his supervisor to authorize my refund.他说必须让主管人员批准我的退款。
• Only the President could authorize the use of the atomic bomb.只有总统才能授权使用原子弹。

6 entice   

v.诱骗，引诱，怂恿

参考例句：

• Nothing will entice the children from television.没有任何东西能把孩子们从电视机前诱开。
• I don't see why the English should want to entice us away from our native land.我不明白，为什英国人要引诱我们离开自己的国土。

7 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？

8 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。

9 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。

10 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

11 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。

12 fodder   

n.草料；炮灰

参考例句：

• Grass mowed and cured for use as fodder.割下来晒干用作饲料的草。
• Guaranteed salt intake, no matter which normal fodder.不管是那一种正常的草料，保证盐的摄取。

13 advisers   

顾问，劝告者( adviser的名词复数 )； （指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• a member of the President's favoured circle of advisers 总统宠爱的顾问班子中的一员
• She withdrew to confer with her advisers before announcing a decision. 她先去请教顾问然后再宣布决定。

14 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

15 endorsed   

vt.& vi.endorse的过去式或过去分词形式v.赞同( endorse的过去式和过去分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• The committee endorsed an initiative by the chairman to enter discussion about a possible merger. 委员会通过了主席提出的新方案，开始就可能进行的并购进行讨论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The government has broadly endorsed a research paper proposing new educational targets for 14-year-olds. 政府基本上支持建议对14 岁少年实行新教育目标的研究报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

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 dominant   

adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因

参考例句：

• The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
• She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。

18 dodging   

n.避开，闪过，音调改变v.闪躲( dodge的现在分词 )；回避

参考例句：

• He ran across the road, dodging the traffic. 他躲开来往的车辆跑过马路。
• I crossed the highway, dodging the traffic. 我避开车流穿过了公路。 来自辞典例句

19 authorized   

a.委任的，许可的

参考例句：

• An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。

20 ramping   

土堤斜坡( ramp的现在分词 )； 斜道； 斜路； （装车或上下飞机的）活动梯

参考例句：

• The children love ramping about in the garden. 孩子们喜欢在花园里追逐嬉戏，闹着玩。
• Have you ever seen a lion ramping around? 你看到过狮子暴跳吗？