美国国家公共电台 NPR--White House prepares to provide COVID-19 vaccines to children under 5

White House prepares to provide COVID-19 vaccines² to children under 5

Transcript³

The White House is announcing its plan to roll out COVID vaccines for children under 5. If the FDA and CDC give the go ahead next week, the administration says it has 10 million doses ready to go.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Today, the White House is expected to describe its plans for rolling out COVID-19 vaccines for America's youngest kids. Children under 5 are the last age group still waiting for vaccine¹ protection. If the FDA and CDC give the go-ahead next week, the administration says it has 10 million doses ready to go. NPR's Pien Huang has been following all this, and she joins me this morning. Hey, Pien.

PIEN HUANG, BYLINE⁴: Hey, Rachel.

MARTIN: You got some details from the White House last night. What did officials say about this rollout?

HUANG: Well, first of all, the big caveat⁵ is that all of this depends on a few key meetings next week. An FDA advisory⁶ panel will look at the data for both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines for kids under 5. They'll weigh the risks and benefits. And then the CDC's advisers⁷ will weigh in. So if both agencies agree that the vaccines are safe and effective, that will kick off this White House plan.

MARTIN: OK, So a couple hurdles⁸ left. But exactly what is the plan?

HUANG: Well, states are already ordering doses. Pre-ordering started last week with 5 million doses available. Another 5 million came online yesterday. And so far, some states have ordered just Moderna, some Pfizer, some both, and some states have ordered none so far. But senior officials say it's early days, and they do expect every state to have some vaccine on hand by the time the rollout starts. They think that could be as early as June 21, as long as the CDC and FDA's advisers are satisfied with the data that they're seeing.

MARTIN: So, I mean, parents have been waiting for this for so long, and any bit of information is helpful. As they make their plans, are these shots going to be available just - what? - at their pediatrician's office or where?

HUANG: Well, that is the big focus of it. So the White House is currently starting - or focusing, really, on pediatricians, families' doctor's offices, children's hospitals. These are places that are trusted that parents are used to getting care for their kids. They're also working with pharmacies⁹ and state and local health departments. But they're also planning a lot of outreach because they know that while some parents have been waiting for a long time, some parents are not going to be lining¹⁰ up right away. That's something we've seen with 5- to 11-year-olds, where only 30% of that group is fully¹¹ vaccinated¹², even though the vaccine has been available for seven months. So to get information to parents with questions, the administration is going to be reaching out to just about anywhere kids go - to child care sites, children's museums, libraries, anywhere they can to get the vaccine info out and to get shots into arms.

MARTIN: So, Pien, you mentioned that states are already ordering Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. If both are authorized¹³ for kids younger than 5, how do parents know which one to choose?

HUANG: Well, there are two big differences that we know about right now. First, Moderna is two doses, and Pfizer is three. So both will require the first two doses to be spaced about a month apart, and then Pfizer will require a third dose two months later. There also seems to be a difference in protection. So late last month, Pfizer released some early data showing that three doses appear to be 80% effective against getting sick from omicron. Moderna's data showed that their two-dose vaccine is between 37 to 51% effective. So, so far, the results that we've seen come through company press releases, but the FDA and CDC will be digging into that underlying¹⁴ data, and they'll be sharing their conclusions next week.

MARTIN: So, Pien, these final approvals are coming next week, as we've been talking about. So is the White House getting ahead of its skis right now by unveiling its plan this week?

HUANG: Well, the White House says that they're planning, not predicting, and they've repeatedly said that the rollout won't be activated¹⁵ without the authorization¹⁶ from the FDA, the recommendation from CDC. But researchers I've talked to say it is a bit of a challenge when the policy is supposed to follow the science, but the policy is unveiled first with specific dates attached.

MARTIN: All right, we appreciate you. NPR's Pien Huang.

HUANG: Appreciate you, too. Thanks, Rachel.

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 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。

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 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。

5 caveat   

n.警告； 防止误解的说明

参考例句：

• I would offer a caveat for those who want to join me in the dual calling.为防止发生误解，我想对那些想要步我后尘的人提出警告。
• As I have written before,that's quite a caveat.正如我以前所写，那确实是个警告。

6 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。

7 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。

8 hurdles   

n.障碍( hurdle的名词复数 )；跳栏；（供人或马跳跃的）栏架；跨栏赛

参考例句：

• In starting a new company, many hurdles must be crossed. 刚开办一个公司时，必须克服许多障碍。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• There are several hurdles to be got over in this project. 在这项工程中有一些困难要克服。 来自辞典例句

9 pharmacies   

药店

参考例句：

• Still, 32 percent of the pharmacies filled the prescriptions. 但仍然有32%的药剂师配发了这两张药方。 来自互联网
• Chinese herbal pharmacies, and traditional massage therapists in the Vancouver telephone book. 中药店，和传统的按摩师在温哥华的电话簿里。 来自互联网

10 lining   

n.衬里，衬料

参考例句：

• The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。
• Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。

11 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。

12 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？

13 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。

14 underlying   

adj.在下面的，含蓄的，潜在的

参考例句：

• The underlying theme of the novel is very serious.小说隐含的主题是十分严肃的。
• This word has its underlying meaning.这个单词有它潜在的含义。

15 activated   

adj. 激活的 动词activate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The canister is filled with activated charcoal.蒸气回收罐中充满了活性炭。

16 authorization   

n.授权，委任状

参考例句：

• Anglers are required to obtain prior authorization from the park keeper.垂钓者必须事先得到公园管理者的许可。
• You cannot take a day off without authorization.未经批准你不得休假。