Health

Some Interested, Others Concerned over Russia’s Fast Vaccine Approval

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2020/08/17 17:46

Today's Vocabulary

1.clinical (adj)
related to medical work that is done on real patients

2. concern (n)
a worried or nervous feeling about something, or something that makes you feel worried

3.rigorous (adj)
very strict and demanding

4. assessment (n)
the act of making a judgement about something

5. efficacy(n)
the power to produce the desired result or effect

 

6. vaccine  (n)
a substance containing a virus or bacterium in a form that is not harmful, given to a person or animal to prevent them from getting the  disease that the virus or bacterium causes 

7. spokesman (n)
someone who is chosen by a group or organization to speak officially to the public for them

Some Interested, Others Concerned over Russia’s Fast Vaccine Approval

Russia’s approval of a vaccine against the new coronavirus after less than two months of human testing has caused interest and concern around the world.

Russian officials said on Wednesday that the first supplies of the vaccine would be ready for some medical workers within two weeks. They also rejected safety concerns about the vaccine, calling them “groundless.”

A World Health Organization (WHO) spokesman said Tuesday that Russian health officials are negotiating the process for possible WHO pre-qualification for the vaccine.

WHO spokesman Tarik Jaserevic talked to reporters in Geneva about clinical tests and what pre-qualification means. He said: “Pre-qualification of any vaccine includes the rigorous review and assessment of all required safety and efficacy data.”

Dr. Anthony Fauci is the top infectious disease expert in the United States. During a health care discussion at National Geographic on Tuesday, he raised questions about the Russian announcement. Fauci said, “Having a vaccine and proving that a vaccine is safe and effective are two different things.”

European health experts said that without full test information, the vaccine would be difficult to trust.

German Health Minister Jens Spahn said the vaccine had not been tested enough. He said the aim was to have a safe product rather than just being first to start vaccinating people.

Mexico’s top coronavirus official is Deputy Health Minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell. He said he was surprised by the Russian announcement and he added that the government would wait for more information from Russia.

Resource: https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/some-interested-others-concerned-over-russia-s-fast-vaccine-approval/5540771.html

Discussion
  1. Do you think there’s a risk in vaccines that Russian government is introducing?
  2. Do we do enough safety testing with vaccines?
  3. Isn’t it true that better hygiene and nutrition were responsible for decreases in deaths and disease rates, rather than vaccines?

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