What to do about covid-19's threatening new variant
面對(duì)危險(xiǎn)的新冠肺炎新型毒株，該如何應(yīng)對(duì)？
One task is to answer some pressing questions.
第一個(gè)任務(wù)：解答以下幾個(gè)緊迫的問題。
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.
最重要的問題是：Omicron 是否會(huì)取代 Delta 變異毒株？來自南非的早期證據(jù)顯示，Omicron 確實(shí)傳播得非?？臁５?，另有一些讓情況變復(fù)雜的因素存在。南非的疫苗接種率相對(duì)較低，這或許就讓 Omicron 具備了領(lǐng)先優(yōu)勢(shì)，而一系列超級(jí)傳播事件快速擴(kuò)大了這一優(yōu)勢(shì)。
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.
另一個(gè)問題是：Omicron 是否會(huì)導(dǎo)致重癥？關(guān)于南非輕癥的早期報(bào)告并無定論，這些報(bào)告描述的癥狀可能主要出現(xiàn)在年輕人身上，而他們（相較于年長(zhǎng)者而言）更不容易受到新冠肺炎任何一種變異毒株的傷害。
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.***
第三個(gè)問題是：在 Omicron 面前，新冠疫苗、感染史和藥物能夠提供多少保護(hù)？Omicron 的刺突蛋白發(fā)生了大約 30 處變異，科學(xué)家認(rèn)為，其中一些變異能夠幫助病毒顆粒進(jìn)入人體細(xì)胞，還有一些則能夠減弱抗體的攻擊。
A second task is for pharma companies to be able to make new vaccines.
第二個(gè)任務(wù)：醫(yī)藥公司能夠制造出新的疫苗。
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.
特別是 mRNA 疫苗，研發(fā)人員能夠使用新毒株身上的基因組來快速地改造這種疫苗，并完成測(cè)試，隨即大量生產(chǎn)。據(jù)稱整個(gè)過程需要 100 天左右。而其他類型的疫苗很難被量產(chǎn)，完成整個(gè)過程可能會(huì)花更多的時(shí)間。改良疫苗的行動(dòng)已經(jīng)開始了。
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.
與此同時(shí)，政府也可以加快注射疫苗加強(qiáng)針計(jì)劃的落實(shí)，這項(xiàng)計(jì)劃背后有著合理的假設(shè)：現(xiàn)有的疫苗在新毒株的威脅面前，至少可以提供些許防護(hù)。無論 Omicron 是否會(huì)成為接下來的主流病毒株，注射第三針疫苗都有它的道理。
主編：木子、Pita、啾笛、Dobby
品控：木子、Pita、迎迎
審核：啾笛、Dobby
重點(diǎn)詞匯
variant
/?ver.i.?nt/
n. 變種；變化形式
搭配短語：a spelling variant in British and American English（變化形式）
pressing
/?pres.??/
adj. 緊迫的，迫切的
相關(guān)詞匯：press（v. 敦促，逼迫；按，壓）
例句：They are pressing me to make a quick decision.
近義詞：push，urge
近義詞：urgent
例句：Sorry, I'm afraid I have some pressing business to attend to.
immunisation
/?im.j?.n??ze?.??n/
n. 免疫接種
相關(guān)詞匯：immune system（免疫系統(tǒng)）
相關(guān)詞匯：immunity（n. 免疫力）
相關(guān)詞匯：immunise（v.（尤指通過注射疫苗）使免疫）
例句：There is still no vaccine to immunise people against the variant.
搭配短語：mass immunisation
head start
先起步的優(yōu)勢(shì)
近義詞：advantage
例句：The reading course gives young children a head start.
turbocharge
/?t??.bo??t?ɑ?rd?/
v. 促進(jìn)，推動(dòng)，增強(qiáng)
相關(guān)詞匯：turbo（adj. 渦輪推動(dòng)的；n. 渦輪增壓發(fā)動(dòng)機(jī)汽車）
相關(guān)詞匯：turbocharger（n. 渦輪增壓器；可縮寫為 turbo）
severe
/s??v?r/
adj. 非常嚴(yán)重的
英文釋義：extremely bad or serious
搭配短語：severe cases
補(bǔ)充：文中的 severe disease 指的是 a severe form of the disease。
mild
/ma?ld/
adj. 輕微的；溫和的
反義詞：severe
英文釋義：not severe or strong
conclusive
/k?n?klu?.s?v/
adj. 確鑿的，結(jié)論性的
相關(guān)詞匯：conclude（v. 斷定，作出結(jié)論）
vulnerable
/?v?l.n?.?.b?l/
adj. 易受影響（或攻擊）的；脆弱的
搭配短語：vulnerable groups
搭配短語：be vulnerable to infection
mutation
/mju??te?.??n/
n. 變異
相關(guān)詞匯：mutate（v. 變異）
例句：The virus is able to mutate into new forms that are immune to the vaccine.
particle
/?pɑ?r.t??.k?l/
n. 粒子，微粒
英文釋義：a very small piece of something
搭配短語：dust particles
frustrate
/?fr?s.tre?t/
v. 阻止；使沮喪
例句：These questions frustrated me.
例句：He tried to frustrate his mother's plans.
antibody
/??n.t?i?bɑ?.di/
n. 抗體
詞根詞綴：anti-（against，反對(duì)）
派生詞：antiwar，antinuclear
pharma
/?fɑ?r.m?/
n. 醫(yī)藥公司（的統(tǒng)稱）
相關(guān)詞匯：pharmacy（n. 藥房）
相關(guān)詞匯：pharmaceutical（adj. 醫(yī)藥的）
英文釋義：pharmaceutical companies when considered together as an industry
genome
/?d?i?.no?m/
n. 基因組
相關(guān)詞匯：gene（n. 基因）
英文釋義：the complete set of genes in a cell
搭配短語：the human genome
at scale
大規(guī)模地
相關(guān)詞匯：scale（n. 規(guī)模）
同義短語：on a large scale
scale
/ske?l/
v. 變化（規(guī)模）
搭配短語：scale up
搭配短語：scale down
accelerate
/?k?sel.?.e?t/
v. 加速，加快
例句：I accelerated to overtake the car.
booster
/?bu?.st?/
n. 加強(qiáng)劑量；有正面效果的事物；助推火箭；加速器
英文釋義：something that increases a positive or desirable quality
搭配短語：a confidence booster
搭配短語：a booster rocket
搭配短語：an Internet booster
搭配短語：a booster vaccine
confer
/k?n?f??/
v. 給予；授予（稱號(hào)、學(xué)位等）
