VOA慢速英语--俄罗斯率先批准新冠疫苗，其他国家尚未确定

Russian President Vladimir Putin declared on Tuesday that Russia has become the first country to approve a vaccine¹ for COVID-19. But some scientists question whether its quick approval without testing a large group of people will lead to a safe vaccine.

Speaking at a government meeting, Putin said that the vaccine, developed by Moscow's Gamaleya Institute, has completed the necessary tests and is safe.

"I know that it works quite effectively, forms strong immunity², and I repeat, it has passed all the needed checks," said Putin. "We must be grateful to those who made that first step very important for our country and the entire world."

The Russian leader noted³ that one of his two adult daughters has received two shots of the vaccine. "She has taken part in the experiment," Putin said.

Kirill Dmitriev is head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund. He likened the development to a "Sputnik moment." Sputnik 1 is the name of the world's first satellite. It was launched in 1957 when Russia was part of the Soviet⁴ Union.

Dmitriev said the new COVID-19 vaccine will be named "Sputnik V." He said Russia had already received foreign requests for one billion doses. Russian state media also praised the scientists working on the vaccine and described the work as the envy of other nations.

The Russian Health Ministry⁵ said in a statement that the vaccine is expected to provide immunity from the coronavirus for up to two years. Officials added that medical workers, teachers and individuals in other high-risk groups will be the first to receive the shots.

Phase 3 trials

The Russian announcement came less than two months after the start of human testing of the vaccine. And the vaccine has yet to complete Phase 3 trials – when a new drug is tested against the effectiveness of other treatments.

Other COVID-19 vaccine candidates have been given to volunteers in Phase 3 trials in Britain and the United States. Those vaccines⁶ have been developed by the University of Oxford⁷ and the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). Each trial will last for several months and include up to 30,000 people.

Alexander Gintsburg is head of the Gamaleya Institute. He said that the Russian vaccine program will start while Phase 3 trials continue. He told the Interfax agency that, at first, there will be only enough shots for some parts of the country.

The Association of Clinical Trials Organizations (ACTO) represents the world's top drug makers⁸ in Russia. Earlier this week, it urged the health ministry to postpone⁹ approval until final testing is successfully completed.

Some international experts have questioned the speed at which Russia approved its vaccine.

Michael Head is a doctor and an expert in Global Health at the University of Southampton. He said, "It is unclear precisely¹⁰ what is actually happening with the Russian vaccine... At this point in time, there is no data on the Russian-led vaccine for the global health community to scrutinize¹¹."

"Normally you need a large number of people to be tested before you approve a vaccine," said Peter Kremsner from the University Hospital in Tuebingen. "In that respect, I think it's reckless to do that (approve it) if lots of people haven't already been tested."

Duncan Matthews is with Queen Mary University of London. He said news of a possible COVID-19 vaccine was to be welcomed, "but safety must be the priority."

The World Health Organization says more than 100 possible vaccines are being developed to protect against COVID-19. But only six possible vaccines are currently in Phase 3 trials.

Last month, the United States, Britain and Canada accused Russia of trying to steal Western research into coronavirus vaccines and treatments. In a joint¹² statement, the three governments identified the Russian group Cozy¹³ Bear as responsible for the attacks.

I'm Jonathan Evans.

Words in This Story

immunity - n. the power to keep yourself from being affected¹⁴ by a disease

check - n. the process of examining something to see if there is anything wrong

grateful - adj. showing thanks

dose - n. the amount of medicine

the envy of - phrase, something that causes someone to want it

scrutinize - v. to examine carefully and critically

reckless - adj. not showing proper concern about the possible bad results of your actions

priority - n. something that is more important than other things and need to be dealt with first

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 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。

3 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。

4 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

5 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

6 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。

7 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。

8 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 postpone   

v.延期，推迟

参考例句：

• I shall postpone making a decision till I learn full particulars.在未获悉详情之前我得从缓作出决定。
• She decided to postpone the converastion for that evening.她决定当天晚上把谈话搁一搁。

10 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

11 scrutinize   

n.详细检查，细读

参考例句：

• Her purpose was to scrutinize his features to see if he was an honest man.她的目的是通过仔细观察他的相貌以判断他是否诚实。
• She leaned forward to scrutinize their faces.她探身向前，端详他们的面容。

12 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

13 cozy   

adj.亲如手足的，密切的，暖和舒服的

参考例句：

• I like blankets because they are cozy.我喜欢毛毯，因为他们是舒适的。
• We spent a cozy evening chatting by the fire.我们在炉火旁聊天度过了一个舒适的晚上。

14 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。