new variant

What to do about covid-19's threatening new variant

面对危险的新冠肺炎新型毒株，该如何应对？

One task is to answer some pressing questions.

第一个任务：解答以下几个紧迫的问题。

The most important is whether Omicron will displace the Delta variant. Early evidence in South Africa suggests it spreads very fast indeed. But there are complicating factors. The level of immunisation in South Africa is fairly low. Perhaps that gave Omicron a head start, turbocharged by a series of super-spreading events.

最重要的问题是：Omicron 是否会取代 Delta 变异毒株？来自南非的早期证据显示，Omicron 确实传播得非常快。但是，另有一些让情况变复杂的因素存在。南非的疫苗接种率相对较低，这或许就让 Omicron 具备了领先优势，而一系列超级传播事件快速扩大了这一优势。

Another question is whether Omicron causes severe disease. Early reports of mild cases in South Africa are not conclusive. They may have described symptoms in mostly young people, who are less vulnerable to all variants of covid-19.

另一个问题是：Omicron 是否会导致重症？关于南非轻症的早期报告并无定论，这些报告描述的症状可能主要出现在年轻人身上，而他们（相较于年长者而言）更不容易受到新冠肺炎任何一种变异毒株的伤害。

A third question is how much protection vaccines, prior infections and medicines give against Omicron.*** Omicron has roughly 30 mutations on the spike protein, some of which are thought to help virus particles enter human cells and others of which frustrate attacks from antibodies.***

第三个问题是：在 Omicron 面前，新冠疫苗、感染史和药物能够提供多少保护？Omicron 的刺突蛋白发生了大约 30 处变异，科学家认为，其中一些变异能够帮助病毒颗粒进入人体细胞，还有一些则能够减弱抗体的攻击。

A second task is for pharma companies to be able to make new vaccines.

第二个任务：医药公司能够制造出新的疫苗。

The mRNA vaccines, in particular, can be rapidly edited with the new variant's genome, tested and then manufactured at scale. They say that will take 100 days or so. The other vaccines, where scaling is harder, could take longer. Work has already begun.

特别是 mRNA 疫苗，研发人员能够使用新毒株身上的基因组来快速地改造这种疫苗，并完成测试，随即大量生产。据称整个过程需要 100 天左右。而其他类型的疫苗很难被量产，完成整个过程可能会花更多的时间。改良疫苗的行动已经开始了。

Meanwhile, governments can accelerate booster programmes on the reasonable assumption that today's vaccines confer at least some protection against the new threat.*** Such third shots make sense whether Omicron comes to dominate or not.

与此同时，政府也可以加快注射疫苗加强针计划的落实，这项计划背后有着合理的假设：现有的疫苗在新毒株的威胁面前，至少可以提供些许防护。无论 Omicron 是否会成为接下来的主流病毒株，注射第三针疫苗都有它的道理。

主编：木子、Pita、啾笛、Dobby

品控：木子、Pita、迎迎

审核：啾笛、Dobby

重点词汇

variant

/ˈver.i.ənt/

n. 变种；变化形式

搭配短语：a spelling variant in British and American English（变化形式）

pressing

/ˈpres.ɪŋ/

adj. 紧迫的，迫切的

相关词汇：press（v. 敦促，逼迫；按，压）

例句：They are pressing me to make a quick decision.

近义词：push，urge

近义词：urgent

例句：Sorry, I'm afraid I have some pressing business to attend to.

immunisation

/ˌim.jə.nəˈzeɪ.ʃən/

n. 免疫接种

相关词汇：immune system（免疫系统）

相关词汇：immunity（n. 免疫力）

相关词汇：immunise（v.（尤指通过注射疫苗）使免疫）

例句：There is still no vaccine to immunise people against the variant.

搭配短语：mass immunisation

head start

先起步的优势

近义词：advantage

例句：The reading course gives young children a head start.

turbocharge

/ˈtɝː.boʊˌtʃɑːrdʒ/

v. 促进，推动，增强

相关词汇：turbo（adj. 涡轮推动的；n. 涡轮增压发动机汽车）

相关词汇：turbocharger（n. 涡轮增压器；可缩写为 turbo）

severe

/səˈvɪr/

adj. 非常严重的

英文释义：extremely bad or serious

搭配短语：severe cases

补充：文中的 severe disease 指的是 a severe form of the disease。

mild

/maɪld/

adj. 轻微的；温和的

反义词：severe

英文释义：not severe or strong

conclusive

/kənˈkluː.sɪv/

adj. 确凿的，结论性的

相关词汇：conclude（v. 断定，作出结论）

vulnerable

/ˈvʌl.nɚ.ə.bəl/

adj. 易受影响（或攻击）的；脆弱的

搭配短语：vulnerable groups

搭配短语：be vulnerable to infection

mutation

/mjuːˈteɪ.ʃən/

n. 变异

new variant

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