VOA慢速英语--英国和南非发现新型变异的新冠病毒

New Type of Coronavirus Identified In Britain, South Africa

A new kind, or strain, of the coronavirus has been found in Britain and South Africa.

Health experts in Britain and the United States say the new strain seems to infect more easily than others. However, there is no evidence showing it to be more deadly.

Patrick Vallance is the British government's chief scientific adviser¹. He said the new strain "moves fast and is becoming the" stronger strain. By the end of December, it is estimated that it will have caused over 60 percent of infections in London.

It is unclear if this new strain causes a more severe form of COVID-19.

Will the current vaccines³ work on the new strain?

Vaccinations⁴ have already started in some parts of the world. So, the question many people are asking is this: Will the current vaccines protect people against the new strain of virus?

One of the companies making an approved vaccine², Germany's BioNTech, recently gave a response. The Associated Press reported Tuesday that the company's chief said he is confident that its coronavirus vaccine works against the new UK strain.

CEO Ugur Sahin spoke⁵ at a news conference the day after the vaccine was approved for use in the European Union. He said, "... scientifically, it is highly likely that the immune response by this vaccine also can deal with the new" strain of virus.

The proteins on the UK strain, Sahin explained, are 99 percent the same as on the existing strains. Therefore, BioNTech has "scientific confidence" that its vaccine will be effective.

However, he noted⁶ that "further studies are needed to be completely sure."

"We don't know at the moment if our vaccine is also able to provide protection against this new" strain of the coronavirus. He added that he and his team will need about two weeks to do the additional experiments.

Vivek Murthy, the surgeon general nominee⁸ for President-elect Joe Biden, offered his answer Sunday on CBS News. He said recently there is "no reason to believe that the vaccines that have been developed will not be effective against this virus as well."

Dr. Moncef Slaoui is the chief science adviser for the U.S. government's vaccine distribution effort. He said Sunday on the Cable News Network (CNN) that the possibility that new strains will be resistant⁹ to existing vaccines is low. But, he added, the possibility exists.

Genetics expert Trevor Bedford agreed. Bedford is a biologist and genetics expert at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington.

"I'm not concerned," he wrote on his Twitter page.

He added that many changes in the genetic¹⁰ code would probably be needed to weaken a vaccine, not just one or two mutations. But vaccines may need to be changed over time as these mutations continue. And the changes, he wrote, should be more closely observed.

Reaction to new strain

Over the weekend, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced new restrictions¹² because of the new strain. Several European Union countries and Canada were banning or limiting flights from Britain to try to limit any spread.

Experts say the new strain does not change public health guidance to wear masks, wash hands and keep social distance.

Viruses naturally evolve, or change, as they move through the population. Some viruses evolve more than others. This is one reason why scientists need to develop a new flu shot each year.

Changes on spiky¹³ protein

Since first identified in China one year ago, researchers have been seeing new strains of the virus that causes COVID-19.

The newly identified strain of the coronavirus has many mutations. Some of these mutations are on the spiky protein. The virus uses these spikes¹⁴ to attach to cells and infect them. Current vaccines target these spikes.

Dr. Ravi Gupta told The Associated Press, "I'm worried about this, for sure." He studies viruses at the University of Cambridge in Britain. Gupta said it is too soon to know the importance of this new information.

How do these new strains happen?

Through normal evolution, viruses often change in small ways.

A bigger worry, however, is when a virus mutates by changing the protein on its surface. They do this to help it escape drugs or attacks from the immune system.

New evidence suggests that may be starting to happen with the coronavirus, Trevor Bedford wrote on Twitter. Bedford also noted that we are now seeing the rise and spread of several new strains. Some, he added, are showing "resistance to antibody treatments."

This has led to another question: Will people who had COVID-19 from an old strain be able to get the new one?

Gupta says that is "unlikely."

Scott Gottlieb is former commissioner¹⁵ of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In a recent television appearance recently on CBS News, he agreed with Gupta's prediction.

Words in This Story

strain – n. a group of closely related living things that look similar but possess one or more unique characteristics

mutation¹¹ – n. a change in a gene⁷ or the resulting new trait it produces in an individual

spiky – adj. having sharp points : formed into points

antibody – n. medical : a substance produced by the body to fight disease

distribution – n. the act of giving or delivering something to people

genetic code – n. the arrangement of chemical groups within the genes¹⁶ which specify¹⁷ particular kinds of amino acids used to make proteins

response –n. an answer or reaction to something

immune –adj. to not be affected by disease

1 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

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 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 vaccinations   

n.种痘，接种( vaccination的名词复数 )；牛痘疤

参考例句：

• Vaccinations ensure one against diseases. 接种疫苗可以预防疾病。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I read some publicity about vaccinations while waiting my turn at the doctor's. 在医生那儿候诊时，我读了一些关于接种疫苗的宣传。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

7 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

8 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

9 resistant   

adj.(to)抵抗的，有抵抗力的

参考例句：

• Many pests are resistant to the insecticide.许多害虫对这种杀虫剂有抵抗力。
• They imposed their government by force on the resistant population.他们以武力把自己的统治强加在持反抗态度的人民头上。

10 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

11 mutation   

n.变化，变异，转变

参考例句：

• People who have this mutation need less sleep than others.有这种突变的人需要的睡眠比其他人少。
• So far the discussion has centered entirely around mutation in the strict sense.到目前为止，严格来讲，讨论完全集中于围绕突变问题上。

12 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

13 spiky   

adj.长而尖的，大钉似的

参考例句：

• Your hairbrush is too spiky for me.你的发刷，我觉得太尖了。
• The spiky handwriting on the airmail envelope from London was obviously hers.发自伦敦的航空信封上的尖长字迹分明是她的。

14 spikes   

n.穗( spike的名词复数 )；跑鞋；（防滑）鞋钉；尖状物v.加烈酒于( spike的第三人称单数 )；偷偷地给某人的饮料加入（更多）酒精（ 或药物）；把尖状物钉入；打乱某人的计划

参考例句：

• a row of iron spikes on a wall 墙头的一排尖铁
• There is a row of spikes on top of the prison wall to prevent the prisoners escaping. 监狱墙头装有一排尖钉，以防犯人逃跑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

16 genes   

n.基因( gene的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪

17 specify   

vt.指定，详细说明

参考例句：

• We should specify a time and a place for the meeting.我们应指定会议的时间和地点。
• Please specify what you will do.请你详述一下你将做什么。