VOA慢速英语2020 美国确定第二批疫苗接种群体，包括75岁老人以及一线员工（在线收听）

U.S. health officials have identified the next Americans who should receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Among the groups are people 75 years and older, as well as essential workers such as firefighters, teachers and food store employees.

美国卫生官员已经确定了下一批应该接种新冠肺炎疫苗的美国人。这批人包括75岁以上人群，以及消防员、教师和食品店员工等一线工作人员。

The guidance was issued Sunday by a group of medical experts who lead the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. The committee is part of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Leaders of the group take a vote to decide.

这是美国免疫接种咨询委员会的医学专家小组周日发布的指导方针。该委员会隶属于美国疾病控制与预防中心。该小组的领导人通过投票做出了决定。

The nation's first COVID-19 vaccination effort began one week ago, when the first doses were sent to vaccination centers throughout the country.

美国首批新冠肺炎疫苗接种工作于一个星期前开始，当时将首批疫苗送到了全国各地的疫苗接种中心。

The CDC committee decided earlier this month that the first shots should be given to health care workers and people living in care centers. That group is estimated to include about 24 million people.

美国疾病控制与预防中心下属的这家委员会本月初决定，第一批疫苗应该给医护人员和养老中心的老人接种。该群体预计包括大约2400万人。

The CDC said that, as of Sunday, about 556,000 Americans had been given vaccine shots.

美国疾病控制与预防中心表示，截至周日，大约有55.6万名美国人已经接种了疫苗。

The first COVID-19 vaccine approved by the Food and Drug Administration was developed by American drug maker Pfizer and Germany's BioNTech. A second vaccine, developed by Moderna and the U.S. National Institutes of Health, was approved last week and began shipping on Sunday.

美国食品和药品管理局批准的第一种新冠肺炎疫苗是由美国辉瑞制药以及德国BioNTech公司联合开发的。由莫德纳公司以及美国国立卫生研究院开发的第二种疫苗已于上周获得批准，并于周日开始运输。

The groups the CDC committee identified as next in line for the vaccine make up an estimated 50 million people.

美国疾病控制与预防中心下属的这家委员会确定的下批接种人群估计有5000万人。

Those considered essential workers include firefighters and police, teachers and other school employees. It also includes individuals working in food, agriculture and manufacturing industries, as well post office and public transport workers. The groups are considered at very high risk of infection because their jobs are critical and require them to be in contact with other people.

被视为一线工作人员的群体包括消防员、警察以及学校教职员工。它还包括食品、农业和制造业的从业人员，以及邮政和公共交通从业人员。这些群体被视为极易感染，因为他们的工作至关重要并且需要与他人接触。

Officials say it is not clear how long it will take to vaccinate those groups. Vaccine doses have been produced slower than earlier estimates. Some experts also note that some people in the groups may choose not to get vaccinated.

有关官员表示，目前尚不清楚为这些群体接种需要多长时间。疫苗生产比预先估计的要慢。有专家还指出，这些群体中的有些人可能会选择不接种疫苗。

The CDC committee has also voted on the next groups it thinks should be vaccinated. Among them are people aged 65 to 74, and those aged 16 to 64 at higher risk because they have medical conditions like obesity and cancer.

美国疾病控制与预防中心下属的这家委员会还对其认为应该下一批接种疫苗的群体进行了投票，其中包括年龄在65到74岁的人群，以及年龄在16岁到64岁、患有肥胖症或癌症等疾病的高风险人群。

The expert committee's recommendations will be used by U.S. states as they create they own vaccination programs.

该专家委员会的建议将被美国各州用于建立自己的疫苗接种方案。

Federal officials have said they expect vaccine doses to be limited for several months. CDC officials say up to 20 million people are predicted to start getting shots this month, another 30 million next month, and 50 million in February. That would be 100 million out of a population of more than 330 million.

联邦官员表示，他们预计疫苗还会有几个月短缺。美国疾病控制与预防中心的官员表示，预计本月将会有高达2000万人开始接种，下个月将会有另外3000万人，到2月份将会有5000万人接种。这就是美国3.3亿多人口中的1亿。

Public health experts say the shots -- and others still being developed -- are the only way to stop a virus that has been spreading uncontrollably. Nationwide, more than 219,000 people per day on average test positive for the virus. COVID-19 has killed over 317,000 people in the United States and nearly 1.7 million worldwide.

公共卫生专家表示，这些疫苗以及其它仍在开发当中的疫苗是阻止这种传播失控的病毒的唯一途径。在全美国范围内，平均每天有超过21.9万人确诊。新冠肺炎已经导致美国31.7万人死亡，全球有170万人死亡。

The first doses of Moderna's vaccine left a factory in Mississippi on Sunday and the first shots were to be given on Monday. The moves came just three days after the Food and Drug Administration approved the Moderna vaccine for emergency use.

莫德纳公司首批疫苗于周日离开了密西西比州工厂，并在周一接种了第一针。上述举措发生在美国食品和药品管理局批准莫德纳公司疫苗用于紧急用途后仅3天。