美国卫生官员敦促老年人接种最新的COVID-19疫苗

U.S. health officials are urging older adults to get an additional updated COVID-19 vaccine shot.
The advice for Americans 65 and older was recently issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
A statement by CDC Director Mandy Cohen explained the new guidance. "Most COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations last year were among people 65 years and older. An additional vaccine dose can provide added protection ... for those at highest risk."
The CDC said an additional dose of the vaccine can provide increased protection, even if older adults received the updated shot version launched last autumn.
The new guidance suggests individuals who did receive the updated shot – which became available last September – should wait at least four months before getting the latest dose.
The CDC's decision, or recommendation, came after much debate over whether to say older people "may" get the shots or "should" do so. That discussion demonstrates the ongoing debate among experts about how necessary additional COVID-19 shots are.
Some doctors have said they think most older adults are effectively protected after getting the shot last autumn. And studies have suggested the shots stay effective for six months.
But health officials have noted the body's vaccine-activated defenses can decrease over time, especially in older people. The CDC had recommended additional COVID-19 shots, called boosters, for older adults in 2022 and 2023.
COVID-19 can still present serious health risks, especially to older people and those with existing medical conditions. The CDC says there are still more than 20,000 hospitalizations and more than 2,000 deaths each week from COVID-19. Individuals 65 years and older have the highest hospitalization and death rates.
Some members of the CDC group that approved the latest advice said the word "should" in the guidance is meant to persuade more doctors and drug stores to offer the shots.
"Most people are coming in either wanting the vaccine or not," Dr. Jamie Loehr told The Associated Press. He is a member of the CDC's deciding committee and a family doctor in Ithaca, New York. "I am trying to make it easier for providers to say, ‘Yes, we recommend this.'"
In September, the government ordered a new COVID-19 shot based on a version of the virus called XBB.1.5. That single-target vaccine replaced combinations that had targeted both the first COVID-19 version and a much earlier Omicron version.
The CDC recommended that vaccine version for everyone 6 months and older. It also urged people with weak immune systems to get a second shot up to two months after the first.
But most Americans did not listen to that advice. The latest CDC data shows that 13 percent of U.S. children got the shots, while 22 percent of U.S. adults did. The vaccination rate for adults 65 and older is higher, at nearly 42 percent.
"People are tired of getting all these shots all the time," Dr. David Canaday told the AP. He is an infectious diseases expert at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.
Canaday, who does not serve on the CDC's advisory group, added, "We have to be careful about over-recommending the vaccine."
I'm Bryan Lynn.
The Associated Press and Reuters reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the reports for VOA Learning English.
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Words in This Story
update – v. add new information to something
dose – n. the amount of medication to be taken at one time
immune system – n. the cells and tissues in the body that fight against infection
美国卫生官员敦促老年人额外接种最新的COVID-19疫苗。
美国疾病控制与预防中心(CDC)最近发布了针对65岁及以上美国人的建议。
疾控中心主任曼迪·科恩在一份声明中解释了新的指导方针。“去年COVID-19死亡和住院的大多数是65岁及以上的人。额外的疫苗剂量可以提供额外的保护。对于那些风险最高的人。”
美国疾病控制与预防中心表示，即使老年人接种了去年秋天推出的更新版疫苗，额外一剂疫苗也能提供更强的保护。
新的指南建议，已经接种了去年9月推出的最新疫苗的个人，应该至少等待4个月再接种最新剂量的疫苗。
美国疾病控制与预防中心的决定或建议是在对老年人“可能”接种疫苗还是“应该”接种疫苗进行了大量辩论之后做出的。这一讨论表明，专家们正在就额外注射COVID-19疫苗的必要性进行辩论。
一些医生表示，他们认为大多数老年人在去年秋天接种疫苗后得到了有效的保护。研究表明，疫苗的效力可以持续6个月。
但卫生官员指出，人体疫苗激活的防御能力会随着时间的推移而减弱，尤其是在老年人身上。疾病预防控制中心建议在2022年和2023年为老年人额外注射COVID-19疫苗，称为增强剂。
COVID-19仍可能带来严重的健康风险，特别是对老年人和已有疾病的人。美国疾病控制与预防中心表示，每周仍有2万多人因COVID-19住院治疗，2000多人死亡。65岁及以上的人住院率和死亡率最高。
美国疾病控制与预防中心的一些成员批准了最新的建议，他们说，指南中的“应该”一词是为了说服更多的医生和药店提供疫苗。
“大多数人要么想要疫苗，要么不想要，”杰米·勒尔博士告诉美联社。他是疾病预防控制中心决策委员会的成员，也是纽约州伊萨卡的一名家庭医生。“我正试图让医疗服务提供者更容易地说，‘是的，我们建议这样做。’”
今年9月，政府下令根据一种名为XBB.1.5的病毒版本注射新的COVID-19疫苗。这种单目标疫苗取代了针对第一个COVID-19版本和更早的欧米克隆版本的组合。
疾病预防控制中心建议6个月及以上的人接种疫苗。它还敦促免疫系统较弱的人在第一次接种后两个月内接种第二次疫苗。
但是大多数美国人并没有听从这个建议。美国疾病控制与预防中心的最新数据显示，13%的美国儿童接种了疫苗，而22%的美国成年人接种了疫苗。65岁及以上成年人的疫苗接种率更高，接近42%。
俄亥俄州克利夫兰凯斯西储大学的传染病专家大卫·卡纳迪博士告诉美联社:“人们已经厌倦了一直打这些疫苗。”
Canaday并不是CDC咨询小组的成员，他补充说:“我们必须小心过度推荐疫苗。”

疾病预防控制中心建议6个月及以上的人接种疫苗。它还敦促免疫系统较弱的人在第一次接种后两个月内接种第二次疫苗。

但是大多数美国人并没有听从这个建议。美国疾病控制与预防中心的最新数据显示，13%的美国儿童接种了疫苗，而22%的美国成年人接种了疫苗。65岁及以上成年人的疫苗接种率更高，接近42%。

俄亥俄州克利夫兰凯斯西储大学的传染病专家大卫·卡纳迪博士告诉美联社:“人们已经厌倦了一直打这些疫苗。”

Canaday并不是CDC咨询小组的成员，他补充说:“我们必须小心过度推荐疫苗。”