WHO chief calls for solidarity in financing, ensuring equal access to future COVID-19 vaccine

13 August 2020

Health?UN

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday that six months after first sounding the international alarm over COVID-19, the UN agency is now intensely focused on?shepherding?global vaccine candidates through the necessary trials, and guaranteeing rapid, fair and equitable?access to them for all countries.

shepherd /??ep?d/ ?牧羊人；羊倌；帶領(lǐng)；引；護(hù)送

equitable adj. /?ekw?t?bl/ ?公平合理的；公正的

With the?ripple effects of the pandemic?upending?people’s lives,?WHO?Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus?said?that to move forward, “the?best bet?is to do it together”, as he briefed reporters from Geneva on the latest developments.

ripple effect ：If an event or action has a ripple effect, it causes several other events to happen one after the other. 連鎖反應(yīng)

upend v. /?p?end/ ?to turn sb/sth upside down 翻倒；倒放；使顛倒

best bet：最好的辦法；最好的措施

Phases two and three

Among them, the Access to?COVID-19?Tools (ACT)?Accelerator,?launched in April, has shown results, Tedros said, with nine vaccine candidates in the COVAX portfolio?now advancing through Phase 2 or 3 trials.

Accelerator??/?k?sel?re?t?(r)/ ?n. 油門；催化劑；[機(jī)] 加速裝置

Phase 2 or 3 trials：（新冠疫苗實(shí)驗(yàn)的）階段二或階段三

The portfolio, already the broadest in the world, is expanding, he added. ?Countries representing 70 per cent of the global population have registered or expressed interest in being part of the initiative.

In terms of therapeutics, he said the first proven therapy for severe COVID-19, dexamethasone, was announced in June and is now?scaling up. ?More than 50 tests are in evaluation and new evidence has been generated around rapid antigen?detection tests that could be “game changing”.?

therapeutics ?n. /?θer??pju?t?ks/ 治療學(xué)

dexamethasone/,deks?'meθ?s??n; -z??n/ n. [藥] 地塞米松；氟美松（抗炎藥）

Scale up：擴(kuò)大，按比例增加/擴(kuò)大

Antigen??n. ?/??nt?d??n/ ??抗原（能激發(fā)人體產(chǎn)生抗體）

IMF: Pandemic to cost $12 trillion over two years

Stressing that the ACT Accelerator is the only global framework for ensuring the fair and equitable allocation of COVID-19 tools, he said that to succeed, it must be properly financed.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF)?estimates the pandemic is costing $375 billion a month and predicts a $12 trillion?cumulative loss?to the global economy over two years. ?The G-20 group of leading economies alone, has mobilized?more than $10 trillion in?fiscal stimulus, to treat and mitigate the consequences of the pandemic – three and a half times what the world dispensed?to address the global financial crisis of 2008.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF)：國(guó)際貨幣基金組織

cumulative loss?：累計(jì)損失???fiscal stimulus：財(cái)政刺激

mobilize v. ??/?m??b?la?z/ ?

1.to work together in order to achieve a particular aim; to organize a group of people to do this 組織；鼓動(dòng)；動(dòng)員 ?The unions mobilized thousands of workers in a protest against the cuts. 各級(jí)工會(huì)組織了數(shù)千名工人抗議削減工資。

2.?[ VN ] to find and start to use sth that is needed for a particular purpose 調(diào)動(dòng)；調(diào)用?They were unable to mobilize the resources they needed. 他們無(wú)法調(diào)用他們需要的資源。

3.?if a country mobilizes its army, or if a country or army mobilizes , it makes itself ready to fight in a war （戰(zhàn)時(shí)）動(dòng)員

dispense v. /d??spens/ ?

1.~ sth (to sb) to give out sth to people 分配；分發(fā)

?The machine dispenses a range of drinks and snacks. 這臺(tái)機(jī)器發(fā)售各種飲料和小吃。

2.~ sth (to sb) ( formal ) to provide sth, especially a service, for people 施與，提供（尤指服務(wù)）?The organization dispenses free health care to the poor. 這個(gè)機(jī)構(gòu)為窮人提供免費(fèi)醫(yī)療。

3.to prepare medicine and give it to people, as a job 配（藥）；發(fā)（藥）

?to dispense a prescription 按處方配藥 ???to dispense medicine 發(fā)藥

DI?SPENSE WITH SB/STH：to stop using sb/sth because you no longer need them or it 摒棄；不再需要；不再用

ACT Accelerator, a bargain

By contrast, funding the ACT Accelerator will cost a “tiny fraction” compared to the alternative, where economies?retract?further and require continued fiscal stimulus packages, Tedros said.

retract v. /r??tr?kt/ ?

1.( formal ) to say that sth you have said earlier is not true or correct or that you did not mean it 撤銷，收回（說(shuō)過(guò)的話）??He made a false confession which he later retracted. 他作了假供詞，后來(lái)又翻供。

2.[ VN ] ( formal ) to refuse to keep an agreement, a promise, etc. 撤回，收回（協(xié)議、承諾等）?to retract an offer 撤銷提議

3.( technical 術(shù)語(yǔ) ) to move back into the main part of sth; to pull sth back into the main part of sth 縮回；拉回??The animal retracted into its shell. 這只動(dòng)物縮回到自己的殼里。

Before spending another $10 trillion on the consequences of the next wave, he said the world will need to spend at least $100 billion on new tools, especially any new vaccines that are developed.

The most immediate need is $31.3 billion for the ACT Accelerator – the only up-and-running initiative that brings together all the global research and development, manufacturing, regulatory?stipulations, purchasing and procurement needed, to end the pandemic.

stipulation?/?st?pju?le??n/ n. 規(guī)定；約定；條款；契約

Spread the risk, share the reward

“Picking individual winners is an expensive risky gamble,” he said. ?“The ACT Accelerator enables Governments to spread the risk and share the reward.”

To be sure, development of vaccines is long, complex, risky and expensive, Tedros said, noting that the vast majority fail in the early stages.

The world needs multiple vaccine candidates to maximize the chances of finding a winner that works.

‘Vaccine nationalism’

Excess demand and competition for supply is already accelerating “vaccine nationalism” and risk of price gauging,?he said: ?the kind of market failure that only global solidarity, public investment and engagement can solve.

excess demand ：N a situation in which the market demand for a commodity is greater than its market supply, thus causing its market price to rise 超額需求

gauge /ɡe?d?/ n. 計(jì)量器；標(biāo)準(zhǔn)尺寸；容量規(guī)格；針織物的細(xì)度?vt. 測(cè)量；估計(jì)；給……定規(guī)格

The ACT Accelerator funding gap cannot be covered by traditional development assistance alone, he said. ?The best solution is?blend?of development assistance and financing from stimulus packages. ?It is the fastest way to end the pandemic and ensure swift global recovery.

Blend?vt. 混合vi. 混合；協(xié)調(diào)?n. 混合；摻合物

1.?blend ?in (with sth/sb)：if sth blends in , it is similar to its surroundings or matches its surroundings （與環(huán)境）和諧，協(xié)調(diào)??The thieves soon blended in with the crowd and got away. 竊賊很快混入人群逃跑了。

2.?blend sth←→?in：( in cooking 烹飪 ) to add another substance and mix it in with the others 調(diào)入??Beat the butter and sugar; then blend in the egg. 把黃油和糖打好，然后調(diào)入雞蛋。

3.?blend ?into sth：to look so similar to the background that it is difficult for you to see it separately 融合到（背景）中??He blended into the crowd. 他消失在人群中。

?

Globally coordinated vaccine?roll-out?will have?multiplier effect

Stimulus investments and the globally coordinated roll-out of new vaccines, tests and therapeutics, will have a major multiplier effect?on global economies. ?“There is hope”, he said. ?“If we all?deploy?tools at our disposal?today, and collectively invest in new ones through the Accelerator, we have a?route out of?this pandemic.”

Our best chance to be successful is always do it together

--?WHO chief

deploy v. /d??pl??/ ?1.( technical 術(shù)語(yǔ) ) to move soldiers or weapons into a position where they are ready for military action 部署，調(diào)度（軍隊(duì)或武器） ?2 000 troops were deployed in the area. 那個(gè)地區(qū)部署了2 000人的部隊(duì)。2.( formal ) to use sth effectively 有效地利用；調(diào)動(dòng) ?to deploy arguments/resources 利用論據(jù)╱資源

At??disposal 供…使用；可以自由處理??multiplier effect：數(shù)乘效應(yīng)

Ebola in DRC

Dr. Tedros also addressed the latest outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Equateur province, a worrying development with 86 cases. ?

Ebola /?i?b??l?/ 埃博拉病毒

Democratic Republic of the Congo：DRC（剛果民主共和國(guó)）

équateur：[ekwat?:r] 赤道，赤道線；赤道區(qū)

While the geographic spread of the outbreak is vast, with many areas only accessible by helicopter or boat, he said 100 WHO staff are working with the health ministry, UN agencies, non-governmental organizations and other partners, to stamp out infection.?

stamp out ：If you stamp something out, you put an end to it. 杜絕

In addition, he said WHO had released $2.5 million from its for emergencies and its regional emergency response fund to support immediate needs. ?

To end the outbreak, WHO needs additional funding and the agency is working with surrounding provinces and neighbouring countries to enhance preparedness, he said.

“This is not just a matter for a country’s health security,” Tedros assured. ?“It is a matter of global health security.” ?Whether it is COVID-19, Ebola or other high impact epidemics, the world must be prepared and respond quickly. ?“Our best chance to be successful is always do it together.”

原文鏈接：https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/08/1070162