VOA慢速英语2021 --日本暂停使用部分莫德纳疫苗供应

Japanese health officials announced Sunday they were suspending the use of another 1 million doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine¹. The latest action came as Japan already put on hold 1.63 million doses after they were found to contain foreign particles.

The news comes as the Delta² variant³ of COVID-19 is infecting more people than ever before. In August, Japan recorded over 25,000 daily COVID-19 cases for the first time.

The Japanese health ministry⁴ said it suspended the use of the Moderna vaccine after two men died. The men had fevers after getting their second shots and died two days later. Health officials warned they did not have evidence that the vaccine shots caused their deaths.

The latest reports of particles – thought to be either metal or plastic – in the vaccine containers came from an area outside of Tokyo and in Okinawa. Japan's health ministry said the foreign particles might be pieces of rubber used to cover the small glass bottles containing the vaccine. If a doctor or nurse did not insert the needle properly, they could have broken off small pieces of rubber.

The health ministry said no safety or efficacy issues had been identified with the vaccine. It said the suspension was a precaution while the causes of death are being investigated.

"It is unlikely, in my opinion, that contamination of foreign substances led directly to sudden deaths," said Takahiro Kinoshita, a doctor with a vaccine information group. However, he agreed that more investigation⁵ is needed.

Earlier suspension of Moderna vaccine

Last week, Japan halted the use of 1.63 million doses of the Moderna vaccine. Moderna and the Spanish company Rovi, which bottles Moderna vaccines⁶ for countries other than the United States, said at the time that a manufacturing issue could have led to the contamination.

Japanese drug company Takeda said Monday it is working to find out what went wrong with Rovi's production. Takeda sent the supplies of Moderna vaccine around the country.

Throughout Japan, 500,000 people received shots from those supplies. Over 4,500 people received doses of vaccine from that supply in Gunma, an area close to Tokyo. So far, however, no one has reported a problem.

Nicholas Rennick is an Australian doctor working at the NTT Medical Center in Tokyo. He said health officials should investigate the problem. But Rennick urged Japan to continue vaccinating⁷ people because "so many of the population remain unvaccinated and unprotected."

Words in This Story

dose –n. the amount of medicine to be taken at one time

variant –adj. different in some way from others of the same kind

fever –n. a body temperature that is higher than normal

needle –n. a very thin, pointed⁸ steel tube that is pushed through the skin so that something (such as a drug) can be put into your body or so that blood or other fluids can be taken from it

efficacy –n. the power to produce a desired result or effect

precaution –n. something that is done to prevent possible harm or trouble from happening in the future

contamination –n. the state of something being impure, unclean or dangerous

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 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

3 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。

4 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

5 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

6 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。

7 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。

8 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。