[ti:Britain Approves Oxford-AstraZeneca Vaccine] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]Britain on Wednesday approved use of Oxford University [00:06.16]and drugmaker AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine. [00:12.36]The shot has been described as the "vaccine for the world" [00:17.60]because of its lower cost and easier storage requirements. [00:23.24]It does not require extreme-cold storage [00:27.56]that some other approved coronavirus vaccines need. [00:32.96]Anna Marriot is Health Policy Manager at the aid group Oxfam. [00:39.52]She praised the approval of the vaccine, saying, [00:43.68]"This wonderful news brings renewed hope at a time of rising infections [00:49.52]and unprecedented pressure on health services in the U.K. and beyond." [00:56.84]Britain's Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency [01:02.12]recommended the AstraZeneca vaccine for emergency use. [01:07.96]Infections and hospitalizations in Britain are rising quickly. [01:13.48]In addition, health officials earlier this month identified a new, [01:18.80]possibly more easily spread version of the virus. [01:22.92]The new form has now been found in several countries, [01:27.40]including the United States. [01:30.16]As a result, British officials have decided to give a first dose of vaccine [01:36.40]to as many people as possible to offer some level of protection to the public. [01:43.84]As part of that effort, [01:46.12]medical workers are to provide either of two approved vaccines: [01:52.00]one from Oxford-AstraZeneca or one from Pfizer and BioNTech. [01:58.28]Both vaccine treatments require two doses for full effectiveness. [02:04.12]Officials say both vaccine treatments protect people even [02:08.68]after just one of the two recommended doses. [02:13.28]Wei Shen Lim is chair of the Joint Committee [02:17.16]on Vaccination and Immunisation in Britain. [02:20.88]He told reporters Wednesday, [02:23.36]"The immediate urgency is for rapid and high levels of vaccine uptake." [02:29.92]Hundreds of thousands of people in Britain have already received [02:34.24]at least one dose of the vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech. [02:39.60]British Health Secretary Matt Hancock [02:43.08]said AstraZeneca vaccinations will start January 4. [02:48.24]Officials say everyone who gets a first shot of either vaccine [02:53.60]should get a second shot within 12 weeks of the first. [02:59.56]However, Pfizer said that any "alternative" dosing methods [03:04.56]should be tracked by health officials. [03:07.52]It noted that two doses are needed [03:10.68]for the highest level of protection against infection. [03:15.12]The company added it has no data to show [03:18.52]that protection from one dose lasts longer than 21 days. [03:24.28]Early results from studies in almost 24,000 people [03:29.44]in Britain, Brazil and South Africa suggest the AstraZeneca vaccine is safe. [03:37.60]The drugmaker says the vaccine is about 70 percent effective [03:42.56]for preventing illness from coronavirus infection. [03:47.16]However, questions remain about how well the vaccine protects older people. [03:53.32]Only 12 percent of study subjects were over 55. [03:59.20]They also entered the study later, [04:02.20]so there has not been enough time to observe [04:05.48]whether they develop infections at a lower rate [04:09.08]than those not given the vaccine. [04:13.40]Beyond Britain, there are hopes the AstraZeneca shot [04:17.40]will offer a path out of the pandemic. [04:21.20]The extreme-cold needed to store other vaccines [04:26.76]is "very impractical" in developing countries, [04:30.88]said Dr. Gillies O'Bryan-Tear. [04:34.12]He is chair of policy and communications [04:37.64]for Britain's Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine. [04:41.24]He noted that the AstraZeneca vaccine [04:44.92]"may reach more parts of the world than the Pfizer one." [04:49.76]The World Health Organization could soon approve the AstraZeneca vaccine [04:54.84]for use in a worldwide effort to help poor countries. [05:00.00]The effort, called COVAX, has secured at least 100 million doses of the vaccine. [05:08.04]But none can be provided until approved by the WHO. [05:14.04]The United Nations health agency does not control vaccines. [05:19.00]Instead, the WHO waits until a health regulator has approved them. [05:25.40]After that step, WHO experts can recommend [05:30.44]that vaccines be given early approval [05:33.32]so donors can buy them for developing countries. [05:37.24]I'm Ashley Thompson. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM