美国国家公共电台 NPR--Experts question the FDA's COVID booster strategy ahead of autumn

Experts question the FDA's COVID booster strategy ahead of autumn

Transcript¹

COVID vaccine² makers³ are developing new boosters for a fall campaign. But some experts question the FDA's decision to tell companies to make shots against the BA.4/5 subvariants.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

When summer ends, we begin the third autumn of the pandemic. The virus spreads more in cooler weather, and many people have stopped taking precautions. But for those who do, the United States is preparing a fall vaccine booster campaign. NPR health correspondent Rob Stein joins us. Good morning.

ROB STEIN, BYLINE⁶: Good morning, Steve.

INSKEEP: So what's the idea here?

STEIN: Well, you know, Steve, this is all about trying to prevent yet another bad winter surge. The immunity⁷ that people got from getting vaccinated⁸ or infected will have faded even more by the time winter arrives. And the fear is lots of people could get really sick and die unless their immune systems get another good boost. So Moderna and Pfizer and BioNTech created a new generation of vaccines⁹ called bivalent vaccines that target both the original strain of the virus and omicron. But the virus is evolving so fast that new omicron subvariants have already replaced the original omicron that those vaccines target. So the FDA told the companies to reformulate the vaccines yet again to target the latest omicron subvariants called BA.4 and 5. But not everyone thinks that was necessarily the right call.

INSKEEP: Well, why not?

STEIN: Well, you know, ideally, we would try to match the vaccines to whatever version of the vaccine is actually infecting people. But some say we just don't have time at this point to reformulate and test a whole new set of vaccines because that would push the vaccine's availability back to around October or November at the earliest, which is cutting it really close.

INSKEEP: Yeah.

STEIN: So some say the FDA should go with the vaccines that target the original omicron, known as BA.1, since they look pretty good. And the companies have already started even making them, which means they could be available much sooner, by the end of the summer. It's kind of the bird-in-the-hand argument.

Here's Deepta Bhattacharya at The University of Arizona.

DEEPTA BHATTACHARYA: Are we trying to be too perfect and then costing us months as a result of that? You know, if we were starting over and all things were being equal and BA.1 and BA.4, 5 could be, you know, developed at equal pace, no question, BA.4, 5 is better. But the real question is, are we letting the perfect be the enemy of the good here?

STEIN: You know, in fact, the companies have now produced data indicating the vaccines that target the original omicron can also protect against BA.4 and 5. And who knows whether BA.4 and 5 will even still be the dominant¹⁰ variants⁵ by the fall. Another entirely¹¹ different variant⁴ or subvariant could have taken over by then. Another subvariant called BA.2.75 has already emerged in India. And the FDA would also have to rely more on studies involving mice instead of people to judge the boosters, which makes some people wonder, are we really there yet with this new mRNA technology?

INSKEEP: I'm just trying to keep track - BA.2.75, 4, 4, 7.

STEIN: I know.

INSKEEP: It's like pi. You could just go off into the universe.

STEIN: Exactly. Exactly.

INSKEEP: Are there other concerns?

STEIN: Yeah. You know, some question the wisdom of switching to vaccines that target omicron at all because, so far, the data FDA has gathered doesn't prove that they're dramatically better than the original vaccines. I talked about this with John Moore at Weill Cornell Medicine.

JOHN MOORE: You might as well consult a crystal ball or a Roman augur¹² if you're going to make decisions on that level. I think that the FDA under-analyzed and under-consulted in making a decision that really sounds good but is based on guesswork.

STEIN: Now, for its part, the FDA acknowledges that there's no way to predict the future. But officials say they have no choice but to try to match the vaccines as closely as possible to whatever strain's most likely to be posing a threat. I talked about this with Dr. Peter Marks at the FDA.

PETER MARKS: Because we don't have a crystal ball, we have to do our best using the science that we have in hand. And this allows us to hedge our bets.

STEIN: And Marks is leaving the door open to switching back to boosters that target the original omicron if that looks like the better option to protect people in the fall.

INSKEEP: That's NPR health correspondent Rob Stein. Rob, thanks so much.

STEIN: You bet, Steve.

1 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。

2 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。

3 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》

4 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。

5 variants   

n.变体( variant的名词复数 )；变种；变型；（词等的）变体

参考例句：

• Those variants will be preserved in the'struggle for existence". 这些变异将在“生存竞争”中被保留下来。 来自辞典例句
• Like organisms, viruses have variants, generally called strains. 与其他生物一样，病毒也有变种，一般称之为株系。 来自辞典例句

6 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。

7 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。

8 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？

9 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。

10 dominant   

adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因

参考例句：

• The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
• She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。

11 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

12 augur   

n.占卦师；v.占卦

参考例句：

• Does this news augur war?这消息预示将有战争吗？
• The signs augur well for tomorrow's weather.种种征候预示明天天气良好。