强生公司已经开始进入一种单纯新冠肺炎疫苗的最后测试阶段。这将成为是全球最大的研究项目之一，它将对美国、南非、阿根廷、巴西、智利、哥伦比亚、墨西哥和秘鲁的6万名志愿者进行注射试验。
Several other vaccines, including vaccines from drug companies Moderna and Pfizer, are already in the final part of testing.
包括Moderna和Pfizer制药公司在内的其它几种疫苗也已经进入了最后测试阶段。
Also Wednesday, U.S. coronavirus task force officials appeared before a committee of the U.S. Senate for questioning about the health crisis. The nation's top infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci and the head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were among those attending.
同样是在周三，美国新冠病毒工作组官员出席了美国参议院一家委员会的听证会，就此次健康危机接受质询。与会人员还包括美国顶级传染病专家安东尼·福奇以及美国疾控预防中心的负责人。
Both officials suggested that they expect a vaccine will be widely available by spring.
两位官员都表示，他们预计新冠疫苗将在明年春天前大规模投入使用。
"We feel cautiously optimistic that we will be able to have a safe and effective vaccine, although there is never a guarantee of that," Dr. Fauci said.
福奇博士表示：“尽管事无绝对，但是我们对能够获得一种安全有效的疫苗持谨慎乐观的态度。”
News reports suggest that President Donald Trump is pushing for a speedier process than many experts support. Earlier Wednesday, Trump posted on Twitter a link to news about the new Johnson & Johnson vaccine study. The Food and Drug Administration "must move quickly," Trump wrote in the tweet.
媒体报道称，川普总统正在推动一项比专家认可的更快的进程。周三早些时候，川普在推特上发布了一条关于强生公司新疫苗研究的新闻链接。川普在推文中写道，美国食品和药品监督管理局“必须迅速采取行动。”
The FDA is the government agency responsible for approval or rejection on drug candidates, including vaccines. Its chief Stephen Hahn also appeared at the senate hearing. He told the committee that FDA scientists, not politicians, will decide whether any coronavirus vaccine meets clearly stated standards that it works and is safe.
美国食品和药品监督管理局是一家政府机构，负责批准或否决候选药物，其中就包括疫苗。该机构负责人斯蒂芬·哈恩也出席这次参议院听证会。他对该委员会表示，新冠疫苗是否符合它需要满足的明文规定并且安全，这是由美国食品和药品监督管理局的科学家来决定的，而不是由政客来决定。
"Science will guide our decisions. FDA will not permit any pressure from anyone to change that," Hahn said. "I will put the interest of the American people above anything else."
哈恩表示：“科学将指导我们的决定。美国食品和药品监督管理局不允许任何人施压改变这种状况。我将把美国人民的利益放在首位。”
Speaking about the vaccine candidates, Fauci added: "There is no cutting corners."
福奇在谈到候选疫苗时还说：“（候选疫苗）不存在偷工减料。”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, has asked state governments to be prepared to provide vaccinations. CDC announced Wednesday that it was providing $200 million to help begin setting up operations.
美国疾控预防中心已要求各州政府做好疫苗接种的准备。美国疾控预防中心周三宣布将提供2亿美元协助启动运营。
The number of coronavirus-related deaths in the United States topped 200,000 this week
美国新冠病毒致死人数本周已经突破了20万。
I'm Caty Weaver.
我是凯蒂·韦孚。(51VOA.COM原创翻译，禁止转载，违者必究！)