VOA健康报道2022--新冠病毒突变在印度引起关注

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New Coronavirus Mutation¹ Raises Concerns in India

A new mutation of the coronavirus is raising concerns after appearing in India and other nations.

Scientists say the mutation is genetically⁴ linked to Omicron, an earlier version, or variant⁵, of the coronavirus. The new mutation, called BA.2.75., is being called a "subvariant" of Omicron.

Omicron and another coronavirus version, Delta⁶, have spread widely across the world during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Researchers say they are studying the new subvariant to find out whether it might cause more serious disease than past Omicron versions.

"It's still really early on for us to draw too many conclusions," said infectious disease expert Matthew Binnicker. He is director of clinical virology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Binnicker told The Associated Press that especially in India, the rates of infection with BA.2.75. appear to be showing an "exponential increase."

The latest mutation has been found in several distant states in India. It appears to be spreading faster than other versions in those areas, said Lipi Thukral. She is a scientist at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology in New Delhi.

The subvariant has also appeared in about 10 other countries, including the United States, Australia, Germany, Britain and Canada.

Shishi Luo is the head of infectious diseases for Helix, a company that supplies viral sequencing information to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She told the AP the fact that the latest mutation has already been discovered in many parts of the world -- even with lower levels of viral surveillance -- is an early sign that it is spreading.

Health experts are concerned about a large number of mutations that separate the new subvariant from older Omicron versions. Some of those mutations are in areas that could permit the virus to attach to cells more effectively, Binnicker said.

Another concern is that genetic³ differences may make it easier for the virus to get past antibodies produced in the body as a reaction to a vaccine⁷ or an infection from earlier versions.

But health officials still believe vaccines⁸ and booster shots are the best defense⁹ against severe COVID-19. Later this year, it is likely the U.S. will get new vaccine formulations to target more recent Omicron versions.

Disease experts say it may take several weeks to get a sense for how the latest Omicron subvariant may affect the direction of the pandemic.

Dr. Gagandeep Kang studies viruses at India's Christian¹⁰ Medical College in Vellore. She told the AP the latest mutation demonstrates the need for continued efforts to closely follow viruses that combine genetic efforts with real world information about who is getting sick and how badly. "It is important that surveillance isn't a start-stop strategy," Kang said.

Helix's Shishi Luo says BA.2.75 shows that the coronavirus is continuing to mutate and spread.

"We would like to return to pre-pandemic life, but we still need to be careful," she said. "We need to accept that we're now living with a higher level of risk than we used to."

Words in This Story

mutate – v. to cause a gene² to change and create an unusual characteristic in a plant or animal

conclusion – n. the final part or result of something

exponential – adj. an intense increase in something

sequence – n. the order in which nucleotides (chemical substances) are combined to form DNA¹¹

surveillance – n. the careful watching of a person, place or situation

booster shot – n. an extra amount of a substance that is injected with a needle into a person or animal to help protect against a particular disease

formulation – n. the activity of creating or preparing something

strategy – n. a detailed¹² plan for achieving success in situations such as war, politics, business, industry, etc.

1 mutation   

n.变化，变异，转变

参考例句：

• People who have this mutation need less sleep than others.有这种突变的人需要的睡眠比其他人少。
• So far the discussion has centered entirely around mutation in the strict sense.到目前为止，严格来讲，讨论完全集中于围绕突变问题上。

2 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

3 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

4 genetically   

adv.遗传上

参考例句：

• All the bees in the colony are genetically related. 同一群体的蜜蜂都有亲缘关系。
• Genetically modified foods have already arrived on American dinner tables. 经基因改造加工过的食物已端上了美国人的餐桌。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 基因与食物

5 variant   

adj.不同的，变异的；n.变体，异体

参考例句：

• We give professional suggestions according to variant tanning stages for each customer.我们针对每位顾客不同的日晒阶段，提供强度适合的晒黑建议。
• In a variant of this approach,the tests are data- driven.这个方法的一个变种，是数据驱动的测试。

6 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

7 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

8 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。

9 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

10 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

11 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

12 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。