Pfizer Seeks Approval of Latest Vaccine to Fight COVID-19 Variants

Pfizer Seeks Approval of Latest Vaccine¹ to Fight COVID-19 Variants³

Pfizer has sought government approval for a new combination COVID-19 vaccine that aims to protect against new virus versions.

The American drug maker⁴ officially requested the approval on Monday. The combination vaccine seeks to target new mutations of the Omicron version, or variant², of COVID-19.

The latest mutations, or "sub-variants," have been identified as BA.4 and BA.5. Omicron and another virus version, Delta⁶, spread especially widely across the world.

Research has shown that the two sub-variants are better at avoiding the protection developed in people who were vaccinated⁷ or infected before.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had ordered vaccine makers⁸ to target the BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants to prepare for new booster campaigns in the autumn.

The two most widely used COVID-19 vaccines⁹ – one made by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech and the other by Moderna – have saved millions of lives worldwide. But medical researchers have urged drug companies to update their vaccines as the virus continues to mutate into new variants and sub-variants.

Pfizer-BioNTech aims to offer updated boosters to individuals 12 and older. The shots could begin within weeks if the FDA quickly approves the vaccine, The Associated Press reports.

Moderna is expected to also seek government approval soon for a new combination vaccine. The United States has a contract to buy 105 million of Pfizer's shots and 66 million Moderna ones.

"It's going to be really important that people this fall and winter get the new shots," Dr. Ashish Jha told reporters last week. He is chief of COVID-19 policy for U.S. President Joe Biden. Jha added that the new combination vaccines are "designed for the virus that's out there."

Health officials say the BA.5 sub-variant is currently causing almost all COVID-19 infections in the U.S. and much of the world. But health experts say there is no way to know whether it will still be a threat this winter or if another mutation⁵ will replace it.

The vaccines currently used in the U.S. still offer strong protection against severe disease and death, especially if people have received booster shots. But those vaccines target the COVID-19 version that started widely spreading in early 2020.

The current COVID-19 vaccines work by causing the production of antibodies that recognize and attack the so-called "spike¹⁰ protein" that surrounds the virus. The new combination vaccines will contain instructions for both the original spike target, as well as spike mutations carried by BA.4 and BA.5.

The Pfizer-BioNTech request comes after Britain recently became the first nation in the world to approve a different update to Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine.

While considering the U.S. approval request, the FDA is expected to depend heavily on scientific testing of past changes to the vaccine formula. This process is similar to how vaccines for the influenza¹¹ virus are updated yearly. They do not require large research studies.

Pfizer and BioNTech have said they expect to start new trials involving BA.4 and BA.5 booster shots in the coming weeks. Moderna has begun a similar study, but those results are not expected to be available before a fall booster campaign.

In another development, Pfizer announced that trials of its COVID-19 vaccine showed the shots were 73 percent effective in protecting children younger than 5 during testing in the spring.

Words in This Story

mutate – v. to cause a gene¹² to change and create an unusual characteristic in a plant or animal

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

update – v. to add new information to something or make something more current

formula – n. a list of substances that something is made of

1 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。

2 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。

3 variants   

n.变体( variant的名词复数 )；变种；变型；（词等的）变体

参考例句：

• Those variants will be preserved in the'struggle for existence". 这些变异将在“生存竞争”中被保留下来。 来自辞典例句
• Like organisms, viruses have variants, generally called strains. 与其他生物一样，病毒也有变种，一般称之为株系。 来自辞典例句

4 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

5 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。

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 vaccinated   

[医]已接种的，种痘的，接种过疫菌的

参考例句：

• I was vaccinated against tetanus. 我接种了破伤风疫苗。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child? 你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？

8 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 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。

10 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。

11 influenza   

n.流行性感冒，流感

参考例句：

• They took steps to prevent the spread of influenza.他们采取措施
• Influenza is an infectious disease.流感是一种传染病。

12 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。