VOA慢速英语--辉瑞公司称其COVID-19疫苗适用于青少年儿童

Pfizer announced Wednesday that its COVID-19 vaccine¹ is safe and strongly protects children as young as 12. The news may lead to vaccinating² that age group before they return to school in the autumn.

Most COVID-19 vaccines³ available are for adults, who are at higher risk from the coronavirus. Pfizer's vaccine is approved for children ages 16 and older. But vaccinating children of all ages might be important to stopping the spread of the coronavirus.

In a study of 2,260 U.S. volunteers ages 12 to 15, early results showed there were no cases of COVID-19 among those fully⁴ vaccinated⁶. There were 18 cases of coronavirus infection among those given a placebo⁷, Pfizer reported.

The study was small and has not yet been published. However, researchers reported high levels of antibodies, somewhat higher than were seen in studies of young adults.

The children had side effects that were similar to those of young adults, the company said. The main side effects are pain, high temperature, chills and tiredness, especially after the second injection. The study will continue to follow the children for two years for more information about protection and safety.

Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech plan in the coming weeks to ask the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and European regulators to permit emergency use of the vaccine starting at age 12.

"We share the urgency to expand the use of our vaccine," Pfizer cheif Albert Bourla said in a statement. He expressed "the hope of starting to vaccinate⁵ this age group before the start of the next school year" in the United States.

Pfizer is not the only company seeking to lower the age limit for its vaccine. Results also are expected by the middle of this year from a U.S. study of Moderna's vaccine in 12 to 17 year olds.

Because the findings were promising⁸, the FDA already permitted both companies to begin U.S. studies on children 11 and younger. They plan to study children as young as 6 months old in the future.

The chief of BioNTech, Ugur Sahin said in a statement: "We are longing⁹ for a normal life. This is especially true for our children."

AstraZeneca last month began a study of its vaccine on children ages 6 to 17 in Britain. Johnson & Johnson is planning its own studies. In China, Sinovac recently announced it has given new data to Chinese regulators showing its vaccine is safe in children as young as 3.

One important question is the amount of vaccine: Pfizer gave the 12-and-older children the same amount as adults. It is testing different amounts in younger children.

It is unclear how quickly the FDA would act on Pfizer's request to permit vaccination¹⁰ starting at age 12. The agency has taken about three weeks to study and approve each of the vaccines now available for adults.

Children represent about 13 percent of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. Children are far less likely than adults to get seriously sick. However, at least 268 children have died from COVID-19 in the U.S. and more than 13,500 have been hospitalized, the American Academy of Pediatrics reports. A small number have developed serious swelling¹¹ linked to the coronavirus.

Caleb Chung, who turns 13 later this week, was one of the volunteers for the vaccine study. He does not know if he received the vaccine or a placebo. He said the study "was really somewhere that I could actually help out."

His father, Dr. Richard Chung, a North Carolina doctor, said he is proud of his son.

Words in This Story

placebo –n. a substance that is given to a patient in a medical study that has no physical effect

chills –n. (pl.) a feeling of being cold

regulator –n. an official who works for the part of the government that controls a public activity and enforces rules

swelling –n. a condition in which a part or area of the body increases in size

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 vaccinating   

给…接种疫苗( vaccinate的现在分词 )； 注射疫苗，接种疫苗

参考例句：

• At first blush, vaccinating the wolves against rabies seems a simple solution. 乍一看来，为狼群注射防狂犬病疫苗是一种简单的办法。
• Also vaccinating children against misers (measles) has saved many lives. 还有，给儿童进行疫苗接种防止麻疹也挽救了许多生命。

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 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。

5 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。

6 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？

7 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。

8 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

9 longing   

n.（for）渴望

参考例句：

• Hearing the tune again sent waves of longing through her.再次听到那首曲子使她胸中充满了渴望。
• His heart burned with longing for revenge.他心中燃烧着急欲复仇的怒火。

10 vaccination   

n.接种疫苗，种痘

参考例句：

• Vaccination is a preventive against smallpox.种痘是预防天花的方法。
• Doctors suggest getting a tetanus vaccination every ten years.医生建议每十年注射一次破伤风疫苗。

11 swelling   

n.肿胀

参考例句：

• Use ice to reduce the swelling. 用冰敷消肿。
• There is a marked swelling of the lymph nodes. 淋巴结处有明显的肿块。