VOA慢速英语2021 辉瑞称其新冠疫苗对5到11岁儿童安全有效

American drug-maker Pfizer says a smaller dose of its COVID-19 vaccine¹ appears safe and 91 percent effective at preventing infections in 5- to 11-year-old children.

美国制药商辉瑞公司称其新冠肺炎疫苗的较小剂量似乎是安全的，在预防5到11岁儿童感染方面的有效率为91%。

The company released a study with the findings on Friday. The United States is considering whether to vaccinate² children of that age. The usual dose of the vaccine, made by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech, has already been approved for people 12 and older.

该公司于周五发布了这项研究结果。美国正在考虑是否给这个年龄段的儿童接种疫苗。由辉瑞及其德国合作伙伴生物新科技公司联合生产的正常剂量疫苗已被批准用于12岁及以上人群。

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is studying the information. If the agency approves the smaller dose for children, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will decide who should receive them. The injections could be available in early November.

美国食品和药物管理局正在审查这些信息。如果该机构批准儿童剂量疫苗，美国疾控中心将决定给哪部分人群接种。该疫苗可能会在11月初开放接种。

More than 25,000 doctors and healthcare providers already have requested the vaccines³. The administration of President Joe Biden has also paid for enough child-size doses for the nation's 28 million 5- to 11-year-olds.

超过2.5万名医生和医疗机构已经要求提供这种疫苗。拜登政府也购买了足够的儿童剂量疫苗供全国2800万名年龄在5到11岁的儿童接种。

The Pfizer study released Friday followed 2,268 children. They received two shots three weeks apart of either a placebo⁴ -- an inactive substance -- or a smaller dose of the vaccine. The smaller dose was one-third the amount given to people 12 and older.

辉瑞周五发布的研究对2268名儿童进行了跟踪调查。他们间隔3周接种了两针安慰剂（一种非活性物质）或是较小剂量的疫苗。较小剂量是12岁及以上儿童剂量的三分之一。

Researchers said the vaccine was nearly 91 percent effective. They found 16 COVID-19 cases among children receiving the placebo and three cases in children who received the actual shots.

研究人员表示，该疫苗的有效性接近91%。他们在接种安慰剂的儿童中发现了16例新冠病例，在实际接种疫苗的儿童中发现了3例。

There were no severe illnesses reported among any of the children. But the vaccinated⁵ children had weaker symptoms than the unvaccinated ones.

这些感染儿童中都没有报告重症。但是接种疫苗儿童要比未接种疫苗儿童的症状更轻。

In addition, young children given the smaller doses developed coronavirus-fighting antibody levels as strong as those found in teens and young adults who got the normal shots.

此外，接种较小剂量疫苗的幼儿产生的新冠病毒抗体水平跟接种正常剂量的青少年一样强。

Hospitalizations of mostly unvaccinated children reached record high levels last month in the U.S.

上个月美国大部分未接种疫苗儿童的住院率创下了历史新高。

The CDC reported earlier this week that Pfizer vaccinations⁶ were 93 percent effective at preventing hospitalizations among 12- to 18-year-olds. New infections are being blamed on the highly infectious Delta⁷ variant⁸ spreading across the country.

美国疾控中心本周早些时候报告称，接种辉瑞疫苗在预防12到18岁儿童住院方面的有效率为93%。新增感染被指来自于全美国范围内传播的具有高传染性的德尔塔变种。

Pfizer's study of younger children found the shots to be safe, with similar or fewer side effects such as pain at the place of the injection and a temporary higher body temperature.

辉瑞对幼儿的研究发现这种疫苗是安全的，类似注射部位疼痛和体温短暂升高的副作用接近或是更少。

Children have a lower risk of severe illness or death than older people. The American Academy of Pediatrics said nearly 6.2 million American children have been infected with the coronavirus. More than 1.1 million have been infected in the last six weeks.

与老年人相比，儿童感染重症或是死亡的风险较低。美国儿科学会表示，有近620万美国儿童感染了新冠病毒。过去六周内有超过110万儿童被感染。

Drug-maker Moderna also is studying its COVID-19 shot in younger children. In addition to that, Pfizer and Moderna are studying the shots in children as young as six months old. Results are expected later in the year.

制药商莫德纳也在研究给幼儿接种其新冠疫苗。除此之外，辉瑞和莫德钠还在研究给小到6个月的儿童接种疫苗。预计今年晚些时候会有结果。

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 vaccinate   

vt.给…接种疫苗；种牛痘

参考例句：

• Local health officials then can plan the best times to vaccinate people.这样，当地的卫生官员就可以安排最佳时间给人们接种疫苗。
• Doctors vaccinate us so that we do not catch smallpox.医生给我们打预防针使我们不会得天花。

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 placebo   

n.安慰剂；宽慰话

参考例句：

• The placebo has been found to work with a lot of different cases.人们已发现安慰剂能在很多不同的病例中发挥作用。
• The placebo effect refers to all the observable behaviors caused by placebo.安慰剂效应是指由安慰剂所引起的可观察的行为。

5 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？

6 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》

7 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

8 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。