[ti:COVID-19 Vaccine ‘Help Is on the Way’] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]American drug-maker Pfizer said Friday [00:04.60]it has requested emergency use authorization [00:09.20]from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration [00:13.00](or FDA) for its COVID-19 vaccine. [00:18.44]Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech [00:22.16]noted they have also started a similar process [00:26.44]with regulatory agencies in Europe. [00:29.80]They are also doing so in other countries, [00:33.48]including Japan, Canada and Australia. [00:38.76]The action came just two days after the drug-makers [00:43.16]announced final results of their large vaccine study. [00:48.64]Dr. Albert Bourla is Pfizer Chairman and chief executive. [00:54.80]He said in a statement, "Our work to deliver a safe [00:59.40]and effective vaccine has never been more urgent." [01:03.88]He noted that the company is looking "to secure [01:07.96]authorization of our vaccine candidate as quickly as possible." [01:13.68]The emergency use request [01:15.88]comes as reported coronavirus infections [01:19.76]have sharply increased around the world. [01:23.36]In the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [01:29.44]urged Americans to carefully consider any travel plans [01:34.32]for the Thanksgiving holiday. [01:36.96]It noted that travel increases the chance of getting [01:41.80]or spreading COVID-19. [01:45.28]About 200,000 new cases of COVID-19 infections [01:50.80]are being reported each day. [01:53.52]The country also recorded more than 250,000 deaths [01:59.00]from the virus this year. [02:01.04]This week, India reported that it now has 9 million infections. [02:08.12]Mexico became the fourth country to report 100,000 deaths, [02:13.76]joining Brazil, India and the United States. [02:18.60]Dr. Hans Henri Kluge of the World Health Organization [02:23.80]said Thursday that Europe now has more than 15.7 million [02:29.76]confirmed coronavirus infections, [02:33.00]with over 4 million new cases recorded in November. [02:38.36]He added, "Right now, an average of 4,500 lives [02:44.32]are lost to COVID-19 in Europe every day." [02:48.72]The Japanese government placed Tokyo [02:52.36]on its highest coronavirus warning level on Thursday. [02:56.56]And South Korea announced new restrictions [03:00.16]including a ban on public gatherings of more than 100 people. [03:05.88]Pfizer and BioNTech said final results from the large Phase 3 study [03:12.68]show their vaccine to be 95 percent effective against COVID-19. [03:19.92]The results will be considered [03:22.44]by a group of independent scientists known as the Vaccines [03:28.40]and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC). [03:33.48]Dr. Paul Offit of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is an FDA advisor. [03:41.36]He told the Associated Press that scientists will advise the FDA [03:46.60]on the experimental vaccine's safety and its effectiveness. [03:51.92]The FDA has the final decision on whether or not [03:56.84]to approve or authorize emergency use of the vaccine. [04:01.84]It requires that a vaccine be at least 50 percent effective [04:07.36]to be considered for emergency use. [04:10.64]The FDA says that it may approve medical products [04:15.64]"when there are no adequate, approved, and available alternatives." [04:20.92]Two other vaccine makers, Moderna and AstraZeneca, [04:26.52]are not far behind with their own candidates [04:29.96]to prevent the spread of COVID-19. [04:33.92]American drug-maker Moderna said early results [04:37.88]showed its vaccine to be 94.5 percent effective [04:43.00]in preventing COVID-19. [04:46.44]And scientists at the University of Oxford, [04:50.08]working with AstraZeneca, [04:52.64]reported that their experimental vaccine [04:56.28]could protect older people [04:58.48]from getting severely ill from the new coronavirus. [05:03.44]Drug-makers Pfizer and BioNTech [05:06.56]said they could produce 50 million vaccine treatments this year [05:11.68]and up to 1.3 billion treatments by the end of 2021. [05:17.56]The companies have developed temperature-controlled containers [05:22.56]to transport the vaccine at minus-70 degrees Celsius. [05:28.48]These containers can be used for storage for 15 days [05:33.28]by refilling with frozen carbon dioxide. [05:37.04]They also come with sensors to track location [05:41.04]and temperature during transportation around the world. [05:46.40]On Thursday, General Gustave Perna, chief operations officer [05:51.92]for the U.S. Operation Warp Speed program [05:55.84]said that a COVID-19 vaccine would begin to be sent out [06:01.04]within 24 hours of FDA approval. [06:05.44]Dr. Anthony Fauci is the country's top infectious diseases expert. [06:11.44]He praised the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine candidates [06:16.44]from Pfizer and Moderna. [06:18.84]Fauci said, "Help is on the way!" [06:22.20]But, he warned that people should not forget public health measures [06:27.00]like social distancing and wearing face coverings [06:30.88]while waiting for the vaccine. [06:33.40]I'm John Russell. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM