辉瑞公司宣布其新冠疫苗可以安全地为年龄小到12岁的儿童提供有力的保护。这一新闻可能会导致美国在秋季返校前对该年龄组儿童进行接种。
Most COVID-19 vaccines available are for adults, who are at higher risk from the coronavirus. Pfizer's vaccine is approved for children ages 16 and older. But vaccinating children of all ages might be important to stopping the spread of the coronavirus.
大多数现有新冠疫苗都是针对感染风险更高的成年人。辉瑞的疫苗被批准用于16岁及以上年龄的儿童。但是给所有年龄段儿童接种疫苗可能对阻止新冠病毒传播非常重要。
In a study of 2,260 U.S. volunteers ages 12 to 15, early results showed there were no cases of COVID-19 among those fully vaccinated. There were 18 cases of coronavirus infection among those given a placebo, Pfizer reported.
一项涉及2260名12到15岁美国志愿者的研究的早期结果显示，疫苗接种组中没有出现新冠肺炎病例。辉瑞公司报告称，安慰剂组中有18例新冠病毒感染。
The study was small and has not yet been published. However, researchers reported high levels of antibodies, somewhat higher than were seen in studies of young adults.
该研究规模很小，并且尚未发布研究结果。然而，研究人员报告了高水平的抗体，比青年组的研究结果要更高一些。
The children had side effects that were similar to those of young adults, the company said. The main side effects are pain, high temperature, chills and tiredness, especially after the second injection. The study will continue to follow the children for two years for more information about protection and safety.
该公司表示，这些孩子发生的副作用与在青年组中看到的类似。主要副作用是疼痛、高烧、发冷和疲倦，尤其是在接种第二剂疫苗之后。该研究将继续对这些儿童进行为期两年的跟踪研究，以获取更多有关预防效果和安全性的信息。
Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech plan in the coming weeks to ask the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and European regulators to permit emergency use of the vaccine starting at age 12.
瑞辉公司及其德国合作伙伴生物新科技公司计划在未来数周内，向美国食品和药品监督管理局及欧洲监管机构申请批准该疫苗在12岁及以上年龄儿童中的紧急使用。
"We share the urgency to expand the use of our vaccine," Pfizer cheif Albert Bourla said in a statement. He expressed "the hope of starting to vaccinate this age group before the start of the next school year" in the United States.
辉瑞公司首席执行官阿尔伯特·布尔拉在一份声明中表示：“我们迫切需要扩大疫苗的使用范围。”他表示希望在美国下个新学年开学前开始给这个年龄段的群体接种疫苗。
Pfizer is not the only company seeking to lower the age limit for its vaccine. Results also are expected by the middle of this year from a U.S. study of Moderna's vaccine in 12 to 17 year olds.
辉瑞公司并非唯一一家希望降低疫苗使用年龄限制的公司。莫德纳公司一项针对12到17岁儿童的疫苗研究也有望在今年年中取得结果。
Because the findings were promising, the FDA already permitted both companies to begin U.S. studies on children 11 and younger. They plan to study children as young as 6 months old in the future.
由于研究结果令人鼓舞，美国食品和药品管理局已经批准这两家公司在美国进行针对11岁以下儿童的研究。他们计划未来对小到半岁的婴儿进行研究。
The chief of BioNTech, Ugur Sahin said in a statement: "We are longing for a normal life. This is especially true for our children."
生物新科技公司负责人乌古尔·萨欣在一份声明中表示：“我们渴望正常生活。孩子们尤为如此。”
AstraZeneca last month began a study of its vaccine on children ages 6 to 17 in Britain. Johnson & Johnson is planning its own studies. In China, Sinovac recently announced it has given new data to Chinese regulators showing its vaccine is safe in children as young as 3.
阿斯利康公司上个月开始在英国对6到17岁儿童进行疫苗研究。强生公司正在规划自己的研究。中国科兴生物公司最新宣布已经向中国监管机构提交新数据，表明其疫苗对小到3岁的儿童是安全的。
One important question is the amount of vaccine: Pfizer gave the 12-and-older children the same amount as adults. It is testing different amounts in younger children.
疫苗剂量是一个重要问题。辉瑞公司给12岁及以上年龄儿童注射了与成年人同等剂量的疫苗。它正在对更年幼的孩子进行不同剂量的测试。
It is unclear how quickly the FDA would act on Pfizer's request to permit vaccination starting at age 12. The agency has taken about three weeks to study and approve each of the vaccines now available for adults.
目前尚不清楚美国食品和药品监督管理局会有多快回应辉瑞公司申请批准对12岁及以上儿童接种疫苗。该机构花了大约3周时间来研究和批准目前可用于成年人的每种疫苗。
Children represent about 13 percent of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. Children are far less likely than adults to get seriously sick. However, at least 268 children have died from COVID-19 in the U.S. and more than 13,500 have been hospitalized, the American Academy of Pediatrics reports. A small number have developed serious swelling linked to the coronavirus.
儿童占到了美国新冠病例的13%左右。儿童感染重症的可能性远不及成年人。但是根据美国儿科学会的报告，美国至少有268名儿童死于新冠肺炎，并且有超过13500人住院。少数人发生了与新冠病毒相关的严重肿胀。
Caleb Chung, who turns 13 later this week, was one of the volunteers for the vaccine study. He does not know if he received the vaccine or a placebo. He said the study "was really somewhere that I could actually help out."
本周晚些时候才满13岁的Caleb Chung是这项疫苗研究的志愿者之一。他不知道自己接种的是疫苗还是安慰剂。他说，这项研究是我真正可以做出点帮助的地方。
His father, Dr. Richard Chung, a North Carolina doctor, said he is proud of his son.
他的父亲Richard Chung博士是北卡罗来纳州的医生，他称为儿子感到骄傲。
I'm Susan Shand.
我是苏珊·尚德。(51VOA.COM原创翻译，请勿转载，违者必究！)