The approval comes as U.S. cases and hospitalizations are rising in some places. Health officials warn of a large wave of new infections from the Omicron version, or variant, of the virus. They are concerned it could fill up hospitals.
这次批准发生在美国一些地方的确诊病例和住院人数上升之际。卫生官员警告说，新冠病毒奥密克戎变种或将引发大量感染。他们担心它可能会造成医院床位爆满。
The drug, Paxlovid, is made by U.S. drug company Pfizer. It is being called a faster way to treat early COVID-19 infections. However, supplies will be limited for some time.
这种名为 Paxlovid的药物是由美国辉瑞制药公司生产。它被称为治疗新冠肺炎早期感染的更快方法。然而，这种药物的供应在一段时间内将会受到限制。
Paxlovid is a pill – a drug that is taken through the mouth. All the earlier approved drugs against the disease require injection directly into the blood.
Paxlovid是一种口服的药片。此前所有获批的针对新冠肺炎的药物都需要直接注射到血液中。
Another pill from Merck also is expected to soon gain approval. Pfizer's drug has been praised for limited side effects and high effectiveness.
默沙东公司的另一种药片也有望很快得到批准。辉瑞公司的药物因为副作用有限以及高有效性而受到称赞。
Dr. Gregory Poland of the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota spoke about Paxlovid. He said: "You're looking at a 90% decreased risk of hospitalization and death in a high-risk group — that's stunning."
明尼苏达州梅奥诊所的Gregory Poland博士表示谈到了Paxlovid。他说：“高危人群的住院和死亡风险降低了90%，这太惊人了。”
Stunning is a term that means very surprising.
Stunning是一个术语，意思是非常令人惊讶。
The Food and Drug Administration approved Pfizer's drug for adults and children ages 12 and older. The drug is to be given if tests show a patient is infected with the new coronavirus and has early symptoms.
美国食品和药品管理局批准辉瑞的药物用于成人以及12岁以上儿童。如果检测显示患者感染了新冠病毒并出现早期症状，则将给予服用该药物。
The drug is to be used with those who face the highest risks of hospitalization. That includes older people and those with conditions like being severely overweight or having heart disease.
该药物将用于那些面临最高住院风险的人群。这其中包括老年人以及患有肥胖症或心脏病等疾病的人群。
The drug is not recommended for patients with severe kidney or liver problems. Children must weigh at least 40 kilograms to be able to take the drug.
该药物不推荐用于患有严重肾脏或肝脏问题的患者。儿童体重必须至少达到40公斤才能服用该药物。
The pills from both Pfizer and Merck are expected to be effective against Omicron because they do not target a special protein on the surface of the virus. That is where most of the variants' changes take place.
辉瑞和默沙东公司的药片预计对奥密克戎同样有效，因为它们并非针对病毒表面的特殊蛋白质。这是大多数变种发生变异的地方。
Still, some experts say there are limits to what Paxlovid can do. Paxlovid has only proven effective if given within five days of symptoms appearing. Experts worry it may be unrealistic for patients to identify the disease, get tested, see a doctor and get the medicine within that time.
然而一些专家表示，Paxlovid的作用有限。只有在出现症状5天内服用Paxlovid才被证明有效。专家担心，让患者在这段时间内鉴别这种疾病、接受检测、看病并服用这种药物可能不太现实。
"If you go outside that window of time I fully expect the effectiveness of this drug is going to fall," said Andrew Pekosz, a Johns Hopkins University virologist.
约翰·霍普金斯大学病毒学家安德鲁·佩科兹表示：“如果超出那个时间窗口，我完全相信这种药物的有效性会下降。”
Pfizer currently has 180,000 treatments available worldwide. The company said it expects to have 250,000 available in the U.S. by the end of January.
辉瑞目前在全球范围内提供18万个疗程的药物。该公司表示，到明年1月底将向美国提供25万个疗程的药物。
Pfizer said the nine-month manufacturing time is the cause of the low supply. The company says it can reduce production time by half in the next year.
辉瑞表示，供应量低的原因是需要9个月的生产时间。该公司表示，明年可以将生产时间减少一半。
The U.S. government has agreed to purchase enough Paxlovid to treat 10 million people, and it will be provided to patients at no cost. Pfizer said it could produce 80 million treatments next year, under agreements with Britain, Australia and other nations.
美国政府已经同意购买足够治疗1000万人的Paxlovid，并将免费提供给患者。辉瑞表示，根据与英国、澳大利亚等国家的协议，明年可以生产8000万个疗程的药物。
Health experts agree that vaccination remains the best way to protect against COVID-19. But effective drugs will be important to reduce the severity of infections.
卫生专家一致认为，接种疫苗仍然是预防新冠肺炎的最佳途径。但是有效的药物对于降低感染的严重程度很重要。