VOA健康报道2022 美国考虑为5岁以下儿童注射新冠疫苗

In an unusual move, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) urged Pfizer and BioNTech to apply for authorization¹ of the first COVID-19 vaccine² for children under the age of five.

The drug companies said this week that they began sending data for an emergency use authorization before it is settled whether the children will need two or three shots.

The companies said they are providing the information at the request of the FDA in order to address an urgent public health need in the age group. The young children, about 19 million in the U.S., are the only age group not yet able to get the shots.

"Having a safe and effective vaccine available for children in this age group is a priority," acting³ FDA Commissioner⁴ Janet Woodcock said. She said the agency asked for the application because of the recent increase in cases caused by the Omicron variant⁵ of the coronavirus. And a decision is expected as soon as this month.

One-tenth of adults' shot

Pfizer said it plans to give children as young as 6 months shots that contain one-tenth of the dose, or amount, given to adults. The open question is how many shots those children will need.

In early testing, two of the extra-low doses appear to be strong enough for babies but not for somewhat older children. Pfizer now is testing a third shot. The results from those tests are expected in late March.

The FDA said an outside committee of independent experts will meet in mid-February to review the information from Pfizer. The agency did not say how long it will wait for complete information. If the agency approves the vaccine, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also needs to approve how the vaccinations⁶ will be given.

John Grabenstein used to work on vaccines⁷ at Merck. He told Reuters, "I just can't believe that they would authorize⁸ getting started without knowing what the third dose would do." But John Moore, a professor at Weill Cornell Medical College, called the plan "a creative solution to a real problem." He noted⁹ that the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is known to be safe.

Parents want to return to work

The administration of President Joe Biden has been trying to speed up the approval of COVID-19 shots for children. Officials see vaccinations as important for opening schools and daycare centers and permitting parents to return to work.

The arrival of a vaccine for younger children could help hard-pressed parents as Omicron is sending record numbers of children to the hospital. Many have been pushing for an expansion of the shots to younger children.

Dr. Dyan Hes is a pediatrician, a medical doctor for children, in New York City. He said for many parents, "that's the first thing they ask when they walk through the door: 'When do you think the shot is going to come out?'"

Dr. Sean O'Leary of the University of Colorado is on the American Academy of Pediatrics' infectious disease committee. He said, "What we're seeing right now is still a lot of hospitalizations and unfortunately some deaths in this age group."

He added that if the FDA approves vaccinations for the younger children, "that's going to be really important because all of those hospitalizations and deaths essentially¹⁰ are preventable."

Words in This Story

apply – v. to ask formally for something (such as a job, admission to a school, a loan, etc.) usually in writing

authorize – v. to give legal or official approval to or for (something)

priority – n. something that is more important than other things and that needs to be done or dealt with first

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

essential – adj. extremely important and necessary

1 authorization   

n.授权，委任状

参考例句：

• Anglers are required to obtain prior authorization from the park keeper.垂钓者必须事先得到公园管理者的许可。
• You cannot take a day off without authorization.未经批准你不得休假。

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 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

4 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。

5 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。

6 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》

7 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。

8 authorize   

v.授权，委任；批准，认可

参考例句：

• He said that he needed to get his supervisor to authorize my refund.他说必须让主管人员批准我的退款。
• Only the President could authorize the use of the atomic bomb.只有总统才能授权使用原子弹。

9 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。

10 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。