VOA慢速英语2020--报告称不发达国可能要到2024年才能接种疫苗

One organization leading the effort to get COVID-19 vaccines² to poorer countries says in a report that the plan faces a "very high" risk of failure.

Reuters news agency examined documents from the report, which has not been made public. The report was prepared for high-level officials at Gavi, an alliance of governments, drug companies, aid groups and international organizations.

Gavi leads the COVAX vaccine¹ campaign along with the World Health Organization, or WHO, and the Coalition³ for Epidemic⁴ Preparedness Innovations.

COVAX is the main plan to vaccinate⁵ people in poor and middle-income countries against COVID-19. It aims to give out at least two billion vaccine doses by the end of 2021. That would cover 20 percent of people most at risk in 91 of the countries, which are mostly in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

But Gavi's internal report says the COVAX program is struggling from a lack of money. The plan also faces supply risks and complex contract agreements that could make it impossible to reach its goals.

"The risk of failure to establish a successful COVAX facility is very high," the internal report says. The report and other documents prepared by Gavi were discussed at recent meetings attended by Gavi's leadership, Reuters reports.

The failure of the facility could leave people in poor nations without COVID-19 vaccines until 2024, one document says. The risk of failure is higher because the plan was set up so quickly, it notes.

Gavi hired financial services company Citigroup last month to provide advice on how to avoid financial risks. In one document, Citi advisors⁶ said the biggest risk was from parts of contracts that permit countries not to buy vaccines through COVAX.

Asked about the documents, a Gavi spokesman said the group remains⁷ sure it can reach its goals.

The WHO did not respond to a request for comment. In the past, it has let Gavi take the lead in public comments about the COVAX program.

Supply deals

COVAX's plans depend on less costly⁸ vaccines that have not yet been approved.

It has so far reached non-binding supply agreements with AstraZeneca, Novavax and Sanofi for a total of 400 million doses. And it may be able to order several hundred million more shots, one of the Gavi documents says.

But the three companies have faced difficulties in their trials that could delay some possible approvals to the second half of 2021 or later.

This could also increase COVAX's financial needs. Its current plan is based on an average cost of $5.20 per dose, one document says.

A top WHO official said the agency was in talks with Pfizer and Moderna to include their COVID-19 vaccines. That would be part of an early worldwide release program that may provide the vaccines to poor countries at a lower cost than current market prices.

Other shots are being developed worldwide and COVAX wants to expand its possibilities to include vaccines from other companies.

Rich countries have ordered most of the current supply of COVID-19 vaccines. They are also planning to donate some extra doses to poor countries. But it is not clear whether that effort would involve COVAX.

Financial pressure

COVAX says it needs $4.9 billion more to meet its target of vaccinating⁹ at least 20 percent of people in poor countries in the next year. It has already raised $2.1 billion.

The facility faces the chance of failure if vaccine prices are higher than expected. It could also fail if the supply is delayed or if the additional money is not fully¹⁰ raised, the documents say.

So far, Britain and European Union countries are the main donors¹¹ to COVAX. The United States and China have offered no financial support. The World Bank and other multi-party financial groups are offering poor countries low-cost loans to buy and deploy¹² vaccines through COVAX.

The facility is issuing vaccine bonds that could raise as much as $1.5 billion next year if donors agreed to buy them, a Gavi document says. COVAX is also getting money from private donors, mainly the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

But even under the best financial conditions, COVAX could still face failure. The problem lies in financial risks caused by its complex deal-making process.

COVAX signs advance purchase contracts with companies for vaccine supplies. Donors or countries who can buy them must pay for them.

But under COVAX contracts, countries could still refuse to buy pre-ordered supplies if they favor other vaccines. They can also refuse if they are able to get vaccines through other means, either faster or at better prices.

The facility could also face losses if countries were not able to pay for their orders, or even if herd¹³ immunity¹⁴ happened too quickly. This would make the vaccines unnecessary, the Citigroup report said. Citigroup proposed a method to avoid these risks, including through changes to supply contracts.

Words in This Story

dose – n. the amount of a medicine, drug, or vitamin that is taken at one time

internal – adj. existing or occurring within an organization, such as a company or business

facility – n. something that makes an action, operation, or activity easier

non-binding (agreement) – n. an agreement that is not legally enforceable

bond – n. an official document in which a government or company promises to pay back an amount of money that it has borrowed

advance – adj. made, sent, or provided at an early time

herd immunity – n. a form of protection from infectious disease that happens when a large percentage of people have become immune, whether through previous infections or vaccination

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 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。

3 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

4 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。

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 advisors   

n.顾问，劝告者( advisor的名词复数 )；（指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• The governors felt that they were being strung along by their advisors. 地方长官感到他们一直在受顾问们的愚弄。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• We will consult together with advisors about her education. 我们将一起和专家商议她的教育事宜。 来自互联网

7 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

8 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

9 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。

10 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。

11 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

13 herd   

n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• He had no opinions of his own but simply follow the herd.他从无主见，只是人云亦云。

14 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。