美国有线新闻 CNN 美国正式批准全面使用辉瑞疫苗（在线收听）

We have an update for you today concerning the rippling effects of the ongoing, worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.

今天首先来介绍全球新冠疫情所造成连锁效应的最新情况。

It would be nice to tell you that all that has gone away, but no. The disease is still causing problems.

如果我能告诉大家这一切都已结束就好了，但很遗憾并没有。这种疾病仍在制造问题。

One big reason for that is the "Delta variant", viruses like COVID and the flu naturally mutate.

其中一个重要原因是“德尔塔”变种，像新冠病毒和流感这样的病毒会自然变异。

They change, new strains or variants form and they can re-infect people who've already recovered from previous versions of the virus.

病毒会发生变化，形成新的毒株或变种，并会再次感染那些已从以前版本的病毒中康复的人。

Health officials say the "Delta variant" is the main form of coronavirus that's spreading now in the United States.

卫生官员表示，“德尔塔”变种是目前正在美国传播的冠状病毒的主要形式。

The Centers for Disease Control says there've been more than 870,000 positive COVID tests recorded in the past week and more than 4,800 deaths related to the virus.

美国疾病控制中心（简称CDC）表示，过去一周，共有超过87万例新冠检测呈阳性，超过4800例死亡病例与该病毒有关。

At one point in mid-June, the U.S. was averaging fewer than 12,000 new infections per week. The "Delta variant" is blamed for this increase.

6月中旬某个时候，美国平均每周新增感染病例不到1.2万例。目前的病例激增要归咎于“德尔塔”变种。

Health officials say it's far more contagious than previous strains of COVID,

卫生官员表示，这一变种的传染性远远高于以往的新冠病毒毒株，

but most medical officials also say that existing COVID vaccines are effective in preventing people from being hospitalized from the "Delta variant".

但大多数医疗官员同时表示，现有新冠疫苗可以有效防止人们因“德尔塔”变种住院。

They say vaccinated people have fewer and milder symptoms overall, than those who catch "Delta" and haven't been vaccinated.

他们表示，与感染“德尔塔”变种且未接种疫苗的人相比，接种疫苗者总体上症状较少且较轻。

One of the vaccines, the one made by Pfizer and BioNTech has just gotten formal government approval for the prevention of COVID-19.

其中一款由辉瑞和德国生物新技术公司联合生产的疫苗刚刚获得政府的正式批准，可用于预防新冠肺炎。

Previously, like the other two vaccines, it was only authorized for emergency use.

此前，和其他两种疫苗一样，该疫苗只被授权用于紧急使用。

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says the Pfizer vaccine meets its standards for safety and effectiveness,

美国食品和药品监督管理局表示，辉瑞公司的疫苗符合其安全性和有效性标准，

but according to medical information site Healthline, there've been conflicting studies around the world on the vaccine's effectiveness.

但根据医疗信息网站Healthline的说法，世界各地关于疫苗有效性的研究存在矛盾。

One suggests it's as high as 96 percent effective in protecting people against the "Delta variant".

一项研究表明，该疫苗在保护人们免受“德尔塔”变种感染方面的有效性高达96%。

One suggests it's as low as 42 percent effective.

另一项研究表明，其有效性只有42%。

And a former director of the CDC says tens of thousands of breakthrough infections, when fully vaccinated people still contract COVID-19, can be expected.

美国疾病控制中心的前主任表示，如果完全接种疫苗者仍会感染新冠肺炎，可以预计会有数万例突破性感染。

The overall survival rate of the virus is estimated at more than 99 percent but that's not spread evenly across all age groups.

据估计，该病毒的总存活率超过99%，但这并非平均分布在所有年龄段。

And the Federal government says it hopes the FDA's full approval of the Pfizer vaccine will encourage hesitant Americans to get the shot

联邦政府表示，其希望美国食品和药品监督管理局对辉瑞疫苗的全面批准能鼓励犹豫不决的美国人接种疫苗，

and encourage more organizations to require workers to have it.

并鼓励更多机构要求员工接种。

The mandates, the requirements that Americans be vaccinated or wear masks in certain places, are controversial.

这些要求美国人接种疫苗或在特定场所佩戴口罩的规定存在争议。

Supporters say they're necessary to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

支持者表示，这些是防止新冠肺炎传播的必要措施。

Critics say wearing a mask or being injected with a vaccine should be a matter of personal choice.

但批评者表示，佩戴口罩或者注射疫苗应是个人选择问题。