VOA慢速英语｜When Will Covid Vaccines Be Available Arou...
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[00:00.04]Experts say it could be 2023 or later
[00:05.76]before COVID-19 vaccines
[00:08.84]are widely available in some countries.
[00:12.44]The United States, Israel and Britain are among the countries
[00:18.56]where more than half of the population
[00:21.60]has gotten at least one injection, or shot.
[00:26.28]But, some countries have fewer than one percent
[00:30.48]of their populations vaccinated.
[00:33.40]They include South Africa, Pakistan and Venezuela.
[00:38.56]About 10 countries — mostly in Africa — reportedly have no vaccines at all.
[00:46.64]There are many reasons for the difference.
[00:50.40]Economic ones play an important part.
[00:53.76]But, some people say, so do intellectual property laws
[00:59.08]that cover scientific discoveries.
[01:01.96]These laws protect people's creative or scientific work
[01:07.12]from being reproduced without their permission.
[01:10.68]The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden
[01:15.20]has supported waiving intellectual property protections for the vaccines.
[01:21.40]But it is not clear if there will be agreement on the issue.
[01:27.16]It is also unclear if such an agreement would speed production.
[01:33.44]COVAX, a United Nations-supported project,
[01:37.64]aims to ensure that poor countries around the world
[01:42.16]are able to get vaccines.
[01:44.96]But COVAX has run behind schedule.
[01:48.32]The reason for the delay is partly because India,
[01:53.08]a vaccine manufacturer, has banned vaccine exports
[01:58.08]as it faces increased coronavirus infections.
[02:02.32]Some countries are also stockpiling vaccines.
[02:06.48]Stockpiling means getting and keeping
[02:09.92]a large supply of something for future use.
[02:13.92]In April, researchers at Duke University said that,
[02:19.16]even with help from COVAX,
[02:21.76]many countries would not be able
[02:24.08]to reach a 60 percent vaccination level
[02:27.88]until 2023 or later.
[02:31.12]Matthew Kavanagh is a global health policy expert
[02:35.76]at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
[02:39.96]Kavanagh suggested that preordering
[02:43.56]partly explains why rich countries have more vaccines.
[02:48.36]'The U.S., European and other wealthy nations
[02:52.84]long ago preordered nearly all the doses available
[02:57.84]and now other countries, even with the money to buy,
[03:02.12]are at the back of line waiting,' Kavanagh said.
[03:07.08]China and Russia are among the countries
[03:09.92]that have committed to giving vaccines to other nations.
[03:14.12]Others, including the United States and Britain,
[03:18.96]have not yet opened their stockpiles,
[03:21.96]although they have committed to doing so.
[03:25.16]However, some experts expect low vaccine supplies
[03:30.48]to continue for years to come.
[03:33.56]'There is simply not enough vaccine to go around,' Kavanagh said.
[03:39.24]I'm John Russell.
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Words in This Story
dose – n. the amount of a medicine, drug or vitamin that is taken at one time
waive – v. to officially state that you will not use or require something that is usually required by law or agreement
schedule – n. a plan of things that will be done that includes the times when they will be done
commit – v. to say that you will definitely do something; to require someone to do something