VOA慢速英语2021 美国研究表明阿斯利康疫苗对各年龄段均有效

Drug-maker AstraZeneca said Monday its vaccine¹ provided strong protection against COVID-19. The two-shot vaccine also stopped hospitalizations and deaths for all age groups, including older people.

制药商阿斯利康公司周一表示，其疫苗为人类抵抗新冠肺炎提供了强效保护。这种注射两针的疫苗还防止了包括老年人在内的各年龄段人群的住院和死亡。

The results came from the long-awaited study in the United States.

这一结果出自于被期盼已久的在美国进行的研究。

In a statement, AstraZeneca said its COVID-19 vaccine was 79 percent effective at preventing COVID-19. The company also said its vaccine was 100 percent effective in stopping severe disease and hospitalization. And the vaccine worked across all ethnic² groups and ages, including older people.

阿斯利康公司在声明中表示，其新冠疫苗在预防新冠肺炎方面的有效率达79%。该公司还表示，其疫苗在防止严重疾病和住院方面的有效率达100%。并且这种疫苗在所有种族和包括老年人在内的所有年龄段的人群中都有效。

The U.S. study included more than 30,000 people. About 20,000 were given two shots of the vaccine. The shots were injected four weeks apart. The rest received shots of inactive substance called placebos³.

这项美国研究包含了3万多人。大约2万人被注射了这种两针的疫苗。注射间隔为4个星期。其余人则注射了被称为安慰剂的非活性物质。

AstraZeneca said its experts did not find any safety concerns. They also found no increased risk of unusual blood system blockages⁴, or blood clots⁵, that was a cause for concern in Europe.

阿斯利康公司表示，其专家并未发现任何安全隐患。他们还发现在欧洲引发关注的异常血液系统阻塞或血栓的风险并未增加。

"These findings reconfirm previous results observed," said Ann Falsey. She is with the University of Rochester School of Medicine and helped lead the study.

安·法尔西表示：“这些发现再次证实了此前观察到的结果。”她在罗切斯特大学医学院任职，并协助领导了这项研究。

"It's exciting to see similar efficacy results in people over 65 for the first time," she said.

她说：“很高兴首次在65岁以上人群看到类似的功效结果。”

Full information about the study, however, has not been published. And no outside experts have reviewed the information.

然而有关该研究的完整信息尚未被发布。并且尚没有外部专家审查过这些信息。

The British-Swiss company said Monday that it will seek emergency use permission in the U.S.

这家英国-瑞士公司周一表示，它将寻求在美国的紧急使用许可。

‘Vaccine for the world'

“世界疫苗”

AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine has been approved for emergency use in more than 50 countries.

阿斯利康公司的新冠疫苗已经获准在50多个国家紧急使用。

When it was approved for emergency use in Britain last December, the shot was described as the "vaccine for the world." It costs much less than vaccines⁶ from Pfizer and Moderna. It also does not require extreme cold storage, making it easier to use in countries with limited resources.

当这种疫苗去年12月在英国获准紧急使用时，它被称为“世界疫苗”。它的成本远低于辉瑞和莫德纳公司生产的疫苗。并且它无需极端低温冷藏，因此在资源有限的国家更便于使用。

The AstraZeneca vaccine is a large part of the United Nations COVAX program. The program aims to get COVID-19 vaccines to poorer countries.

阿斯利康疫苗是联合国新冠肺炎疫苗实施计划的重要组成部分。该项目旨在为贫困国家提供疫苗。

Dr. Paul Hunter is a professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia. He said that more information was needed to confirm AstraZeneca's claim that the vaccine can stop severe disease and hospitalization. He added, however, that the results appeared hopeful.

保罗·亨特教授是东英吉利大学的医学教授。他说，阿斯利康声称这种疫苗可以防止严重疾病和住院的说法尚需更多信息来加以证明。但是他也表示，该研究结果似乎很有希望。

"This should add confidence that the vaccine is doing what it is most needed for," said Hunter, who was not connected to the study.

并未涉及这项研究的亨特教授表示：“这应该能让人们更有信心相信该疫苗正在发挥其最急需的作用。”

Last September, AstraZeneca vaccine drug trials were temporarily suspended in both Britain and the U.S. The company said a woman in the study had developed inflammation in her spine⁷. This led to a delay in the U.S. drug trial.

去年9月，阿斯利康疫苗的药物试验在英国和美国都被暂时中止。该公司表示，这项研究中的一名妇女患上脊椎炎。这导致了美国药物试验的延误。

The drug-maker was slow to report manufacturing problems last October. The company and its partner, Britain's University of Oxford⁸, then reported unclear results from two different vaccine treatments in the British drug trial, which left many uncertain if it was safe and effective.

去年10月，这家制药商迟迟未报告生产问题。该公司及其合作伙伴牛津大学随后在英国的药物试验中报告了两种不同疫苗注射方案的不明结果，使得许多人不确定它是否安全有效。

Last week, more than 12 countries, mostly in Europe, stopped using the vaccine after reports it was linked to unusual blood clots. On Thursday, the European Medicines Agency said its investigation⁹ found the vaccine did not raise the risk of blood clots, other than very rare cases.

上周，超过12个国家在有报道称该疫苗与异常血栓有关后停止使用这种疫苗，其中大多数国家都在欧洲。欧洲药管局周四表示，其调查发现，除了极其罕见的病例之外，该疫苗并未增加血栓的风险。

France, Germany, Italy and other countries started using the AstraZeneca vaccine again on Friday.

法国、德国、意大利等国家和地区周五重新开始使用阿斯利康疫苗。

AstraZeneca said it would continue to examine the new information from the U.S. study before giving it to the FDA in the coming weeks. It said the study and its results will soon be published.

阿斯利康公司表示，该公司在未来几周向美国食品和药品管理局提交信息之前，将会继续检查这些新信息。该公司称这项研究及其结果很快将会发布。

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 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

3 placebos   

n.（给无实际治疗需要者的）安慰剂( placebo的名词复数 )；安慰物；宽心话；（试验药物用的）无效对照剂

参考例句：

• But, eventually, I think they were just kind of like placebos. 但是后来，我想它们只是安慰剂（安慰剂：没有任何药效的药） 来自电影对白
• But comparable numbers of those who received placebos also improved. 但是吃安慰剂的人的病情也改善了。 来自互联网

4 blockages   

n.堵塞物( blockage的名词复数 )；堵塞，阻塞

参考例句：

• The storms could increase the risks posed by river blockages. 暴风雨会增加因河道堵塞所造成的危险。 来自互联网
• An angiogram shows the location and severity of blockages in blood vessels. 冠状动脉造影能够显示血管内的阻塞位置以及阻塞的严重程度。 来自互联网

5 clots   

n.凝块( clot的名词复数 )；血块；蠢人；傻瓜v.凝固( clot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• When you cut yourself, blood clots and forms a scab. 你割破了，血会凝固、结痂。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Milk clots when it turns sour. 奶变酸就凝块。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

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 spine   

n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊

参考例句：

• He broke his spine in a fall from a horse.他从马上跌下摔断了脊梁骨。
• His spine developed a slight curve.他的脊柱有点弯曲。

8 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。

9 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。