中英对照：对变异毒株的恐惧可促使疫苗排斥者卷起袖管

 

 

疯狂肆虐的新冠变异毒株不断挑战加国的疫苗覆盖率。科学家和健康专家通过他们的模型分析指出，如要抑制潜在的第四波疫情并能确保安全地重启经济，加拿大的疫苗覆盖率须获得高达90%的接种目标。但目前加国疫苗接种运动受阻，疫苗一剂接种率仅达70%。加国疫苗接种运动的成败取决于对疫苗持怀疑态度的20%的人群。就像摇摆选民决定大选结果一样，这些不肯痛痛快快挽起袖管接种疫苗的人掌握着加国是否能赢得这场疫情战、让生活重新恢复正常之关键。

 

The rampant growth of variants has continued to challenge the nation’s vaccine coverage. Through their modeling analysis, scientists and health experts indicate that to suppress a potential fourth wave and ensure a safer reopening, Canada needs to reach a vaccination target as high as 90%. But Canada’s vaccination campaign has hit a vaccine hesitancy wall, with the first dose rate standing at around 70%. The success of the country’s vaccination campaign depends on the vaccine-hesitant group, the remaining 20% of the population. Like swing voters that decide the outcome of an election, this elusive unvaccinated community has held the key to the win or loss of Canada’s pandemic war.

 

毫不惊奇，这一人群立即成为疫苗接种运动的追逐目标。美国当局为了取得疫苗覆盖率的新突破，更是不择手段鼓励他们接种疫苗，其推出的疫苗奖励项目花样不断翻新，从免费啤酒到大学学费，甚至每周100万美元的抽奖活动。美国的奖励举措激励了加国的疫苗倡导者们。一些人提出加拿大也步美国之后尘，搞一个几千万元的彩票计划，而另一些人则建议疫苗送货上门，并以族裔语言宣传疫苗功效，打动少数族裔人士。加国疫苗倡导者们深信，奖励和便利是扭转拒绝疫苗浪潮的契机。

 

As a result, the unvaccinated population has quickly turned into the wooing campaign’s targets. The US authorities have resorted to desperate measures to encourage people to roll up their sleeves to break the vaccine hesitancy wall. They’ve rolled out various incentive programs – from free beer to free college tuition to a weekly 1 million dollar prize draw to speed up the vaccine uptake. The US initiatives have inspired vaccine advocates in Canada. While some suggest we follow the US suit by running a –tens-of-million-dollar lottery program, others propose efforts in bringing shots to neighborhoods in the native language of minority groups.  The advocates believe that the incentives and convenience can turn the vaccine hesitancy tide around.

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这些举措也许会对那些对疫苗持冷漠态度或不方便接种疫苗的人士有效，但却难以改变那些仍生活在虚幻世界中、死不承认新冠病毒的存在或认为该病毒无伤大雅，并对疫苗安全性心存怀疑的铁杆疫苗反对者们的初衷。 大约有四分之三的美国男性共和党成员对周边的新冠疫情无动于衷，而加拿大的一项调查显示，在疫苗怀疑者人群中，有68%称他们根本不怕患上新冠。对这些对新冠视而不见的人士，奖励措施或许不会动摇他们的决心，但新一轮的病毒风险将会给他们敲响警钟。

 

These tactics may win over the vaccine apathetic or those facing accessibility challenges. However, they can hardly shift the attitude of the hardcore anti-vaxxers – who deny Covid’s existence or downplay its not concerned at all about the Covid outbreaks in their area, whereas 68% of the vaccine hesitancy group in a Canadian survey says they “are not afraid of catching Covid.”  For those living in denials of Covid, incentives may not budge them, but a new wave of Covid risk can serve as a wake-up call.

加拿大高疫苗接种率改变了未接受疫苗群体的游戏规则。随着加国疫苗接种速度的上升，未获得疫苗免疫保护的人士面临越来越高的病毒感染风险。科学家表示，由于大部分人群都在疫苗保护之下，未获疫苗的人群将成为变异毒株的首选攻击目标。西蒙弗雷泽大学传染病专家卡罗琳•科林博士向《环邮》表示：“当经济重启后，疫苗普及率低的社区将尤其危险，因为只要有星星之火，就可燎原整个社区。”

 

Canada’s high vaccination rollout is a game-changer for the unvaccinated group, leaving them to face growing Covid risks as the vaccination campaign picks up the pace. According to the scientists, the unvaccinated community would be the variants’ priority targets as the rest of the population is under the vaccine protection. “Communities with lower vaccination rates will be particularly at risk as we reopen, because it’s there that the spark of an introduced case can cause an outbreak,” Dr. Caroline Colijn, an infectious disease specialist at Simon Fraser University told the Globe. 

 

随着经济重启，社会逐渐开放，未经接种的30%人群将为加拿大传染性更强、致命率更高的变异毒株的滋生地。由于缺乏疫苗保护，未接种群体将导致病毒繁殖值飙升，并引发具有更严重破坏性的第四波新冠浪潮。

 

As society gradually reopens, the 30% of the population without vaccination would be the breeding ground for Canada's highly transmittable and deadly variants.  Short from protection, the unvaccinated would enable the virus' reproduction number to soar, sparking the fourth wave with a more severe devastating impact.

 

90% 的全民接种率可有效地避免第四波浪潮，并阻止变异毒株在70%的已接种疫苗群体中繁殖、膨胀。因此，疫苗迟疑人群只需提供手臂就可让大部分加国人士获益。但最重要的是，尚未接种之人应当先帮自己一个忙。如果公民的责任感不能打动他们，对变异毒株的恐惧该能促使他们卷起袖管。

 

A 90% vaccinated population can keep the fourth wave at bay, limiting the opportunity for the variants to arise in the vaccinated individuals -- the 70% of Canadians. The vaccine-hesitant group can do a favor for the majority of Canadians by offering their arm. But first and foremost, they should do a favor for themselves. The fear of Covid can motivate them to roll up the sleeves if a sense of civic duty can’t.