German suspend the use of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine for the under-60s

德国暂停为60岁以下人群接种阿斯利康疫苗

燕山大学 刘立军 供稿

TRANSCRIPT

The German Chancellor Angela Merkel has agreed to suspend the use of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine for the under-60s after the country's vaccine committee said it had received reports of 31 cases of a rare type of blood clot, among more than 2.7 million people who received the jab. Jenny Hill is in Berlin. Angela Merkel said the decision was about trust, in which she said be wrong to sweep the very rare, but very serious cases under the carpet. Even so, the development presents a problem for the Chancellor who's under pressure to speed up a sluggish vaccination program as case numbers rise. Mrs. Merkel acknowledged there would now be public concern around the vaccine, the development which may worry on the governments. The world Health Organization says that the vaccine is safe and the European Medicines Agency, which is still investigating the cases, has insisted that the benefits of the vaccine far outweigh the very low risks.

VOCABULARY

1. suspend v. to officially stop sth. for a time; to prevent sth. from being active, used, etc. for a time

暂停；中止；使暂停发挥作用（或使用等）。例如：Production has been suspended while safety checks are carried out. 在进行安全检查期间生产暂停。

2. jab n. (British English, informal) an injection to help prevent you from catching a disease 注射；接种；预防针。例如：a flu jab 流感预防针

3. sluggish n. moving, reacting or working more slowly than normal and in a way that seems lazy 缓慢的；迟缓的。例如：a sluggish economy 经济停滞

QUESTIONS

Read the passage. Then listen to the news and fill in the blanks with the information (words, phrases or sentences) you hear.

The German Chancellor Angela Merkel has agreed to suspend the use of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine for the under-60s after the country's (Q1) ____________________ said it had received reports of 31 cases of a rare type of (Q2) __________________, among more than 2.7 million people who received the (Q3) ______________. Jenny Hill is in Berlin. Angela Merkel said the decision was about trust, in which she said be wrong to sweep the very rare, but very serious cases under the carpet. Even so, the development presents a (Q4) ______________ for the Chancellor who's under pressure to (Q5) ____________ a sluggish (Q6) _____________________ as case numbers rise. Mrs. Merkel acknowledged there would now be public concern around the vaccine, the development which may worry on the (Q7) ___________________. The world Health Organization says that the vaccine is (Q8) ________________ and the European Medicines Agency, which is still investigating the cases, has insisted that the (Q9) ________________ of the vaccine far (Q10) _________________ the very low risks.

KEY

Read the passage. Then listen to the news and fill in the blanks with the information (words, phrases or sentences) you hear.

The German Chancellor Angela Merkel has agreed to suspend the use of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine for the under-60s after the country's (Q1) vaccine committee said it had received reports of 31 cases of a rare type of (Q2) blood clot, among more than 2.7 million people who received the (Q3) jab. Jenny Hill is in Berlin. Angela Merkel said the decision was about trust, in which she said be wrong to sweep the very rare, but very serious cases under the carpet. Even so, the development presents a (Q4) problem for the Chancellor who's under pressure to (Q5) speed up a sluggish (Q6) vaccination program as case numbers rise. Mrs. Merkel acknowledged there would now be public concern around the vaccine, the development which may worry on the (Q7) governments. The world Health Organization says that the vaccine is (Q8) safe and the European Medicines Agency, which is still investigating the cases, has insisted that the (Q9) benefits of the vaccine far (Q10) outweigh the very low risks.

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