【Bilingual News】Why does Taiwan need to develop its own vaccines? ( 為什麼台灣應該自行研發國產疫苗？)

Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp. said Thursday that it would seek an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for its COVID-19 vaccine candidate after its Phase II clinical trials showed promising results. [Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp. 週四表示，在其 II 期臨床試驗顯示出有希望的結果後，它將為其 COVID-19候選疫苗尋求緊急使用授權（EUA）。]x The Taiwan-based biopharmaceutical company explained that its two-dose recombinant protein vaccine had shown no major safety concerns during trials as no participants in the study experienced severe adverse reactions. [這家台灣生物製藥公司解釋說，其兩劑重組蛋白疫苗在試驗期間沒有表現出重大安全問題，因為該研究的參與者沒有出現嚴重的不良反應。]x Based on the results, the company said it is confident in obtaining a EUA application from the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (食品藥物管理署), increasing the likelihood its jab will become the first Taiwanese COVID-19 vaccine to reach the market. [根據結果，該公司表示有信心獲得台灣食品藥品監督管理局（食品藥物管理署）的 EUA 申請，這增加了其 JAB 成為第一個進入市場的台灣 COVID-19 疫苗的可能性。]x But what market? With only 23 million people living in Taiwan, why does Taiwan need to develop its own vaccine? The response is simple: It is a strategic priority to develop our own vaccines so that Taiwan will not depend on others. [但什麼市場？台灣只有2300萬人口，為什麼台灣要研發自己的疫苗？回應很簡單：開發我們自己的疫苗是一個戰略重點，這樣台灣就不會依賴他人。]x Why? A recent video produced by Vox clearly illustrates how the world’s richest countries have poured money into the race for a vaccine since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, making the pandemic last longer as a result. [為什麼？ Vox 最近製作的一段視頻清楚地說明了自 COVID-19 大流行開始以來，世界上最富有的國家如何在疫苗競賽中投入大量資金，從而使大流行持續時間更長。]x Billions of dollars from the world’s richest countries have already poured into the race for vaccine programs such as the US’s Operation Warp Speed funded to bring multiple Covid-19 vaccines on the market in record time. [來自世界上最富裕國家的數十億美元已經投入到疫苗項目的競賽中，例如美國的 Operation Warp Speed 獲得資金，以在創紀錄的時間內將多種 Covid-19 疫苗推向市場。]x The problem is that by investing in research and development at an earlier stage, rich countries have also bought up most of the vital medical supplies for 2021, making poor countries wait sometimes for months and years for life-saving support. [問題在於，通過在較早階段投資研發，富裕國家也購買了 2021 年的大部分重要醫療用品，導致貧窮國家有時需要等待數月甚至數年才能獲得挽救生命的支持。]x With the same observation in mind, Taiwan has signed contracts to purchase nearly 20 million vaccine doses from overseas, including 5.05 million doses of Moderna, 10 million AstraZeneca, and 4.76 million doses of unspecified brands through the COVAX program. It has so far received 726,600 doses of AstraZeneca, as well as 1,24 million doses from Japan, and 150,000 doses of Moderna. [出於同樣的觀察，台灣已簽署合同，通過COVAX計劃從海外採購近2000萬劑疫苗，其中包括505萬劑Moderna、1000萬劑阿斯利康和476萬劑未指明品牌的疫苗。迄今為止，它已收到 726,600 劑阿斯利康，以及 124 萬劑日本和 150,000 劑 Moderna。]x The government has also signed contracts with two local vaccine makers, United Biomedical and Medigen, to purchase a total of 10 million COVID-19 vaccine doses. That’s the reason why the Taiwan government has offered its support for Taiwanese vaccine brands: Taiwan needs to develop its own vaccines to overcome the serious shortage of vaccines in the international market. [政府還與兩家當地疫苗製造商 United Biomedical 和 Medigen 簽訂了合同，購買總計 1000 萬劑 COVID-19 疫苗。這就是台灣政府對台灣疫苗品牌給予支持的原因：台灣需要開發自己的疫苗，以克服國際市場疫苗嚴重短缺的問題。]x “It is our strategic priority to develop our own vaccines so that we will not depend on others,” President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said on May 31, and she is right. [“研發自己的疫苗是我們的戰略重點，這樣我們就不會依賴他人，”蔡英文總統（蔡英文）5月31日表示，她是對的。]x The COVAX program co-led by the World Health Organization; Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance; and the Coalition of Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) is underway. But the program’s goal — to get vaccines to lower- and middle-income countries at the same time as rich countries — is too slow to bring relief in the short term. [由世界衛生組織共同領導的 COVAX 計劃； Gavi，疫苗聯盟；流行病防範創新聯盟 (CEPI) 正在進行中。但該計劃的目標——在富裕國家的同時向低收入和中等收入國家提供疫苗——速度太慢，無法在短期內帶來緩解。]x White House officials said the 500 million vaccines will be shipped starting in August, with the goal of distributing 200 million by the end of the year. The remaining 300 million doses would be shipped in the first half of 2022. [白宮官員表示，這 5 億支疫苗將從 8 月開始發貨，目標是到年底分發 2 億支。剩餘的 3 億劑將在 2022 年上半年發貨。]x In the meantime, Taiwan must help itself and strive forward with Taiwan-made vaccines. [與此同時，台灣必須自力更生，努力推進台灣製造的疫苗。]