VOA慢速英语：美国医务人员防护用品再次陷入短缺
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Protective Equipment for Medical Workers Once Again Running Low
美国医务人员防护用品再次陷入短缺
By Pete Musto
12 July 2020
The personal protective gear that was in dangerously limited supply during the early weeks of the coronavirus crisis in the United States is running low again.
在美国新冠病毒危机最初几周供不应求的个人防护用品目前再次处于低位。
This comes as the virus is quickly spreading in many states and hospitals are reporting more COVID-19 patients. Experts predict the crisis will worsen in the autumn.
这是因为该病毒正在美国许多州迅速传播，并且医院报告了更多的新冠肺炎病例。专家预测，这次危机将在今年秋季恶化。
A national labor organization representing medical workers is concerned about gear being reused. A group of doctors warned that their offices are closed because they cannot get face coverings and other supplies.
一家代表医务工作者的全国劳工组织对防护用品的重复使用表示关注。一群医生警告说，因为无法获得面罩和其它防护用品，他们的办公室已被关闭。
Democratic Party lawmakers are urging the administration of President Donald Trump to create a national plan to get and distribute gear.
民主党议员正在督促川普政府制定一项获得和分发防护用品的国家级方案。
Deborah Burger is president of National Nurses United. She reported findings of an opinion study of her group's members. Those findings showed many nurses do not have the supplies they need, forcing them to re-use what they do have.
黛博拉·伯格是国民护士联合会的会长。她报告了该组织成员一项意见调查的结果。该结果表明，许多护士没有所需物质，迫使她们重新利用已有物资。
"We're five months into this and there are still shortages of gowns, hair covers, shoe covers, masks, N95 masks," Burger told reporters with The Associated Press, or AP.
伯格对美联社记者表示：“我们陷入这种状况已经5个月了，而隔离服、发套、鞋套、口罩和N95口罩仍然短缺。”
Early in the pandemic, the situation was so difficult that nurses turned plastic waste bags into protective gowns. The lack of equipment forced states and hospitals to compete against each other, the federal government and other countries for supplies.
大流行初期情况非常困难，护士把塑料垃圾袋改成防护服。缺乏防护设备迫使各州和医院互相、以及同联邦政府以及其它国家争夺防护用品。
In general, supplies of protective gear are greater now. Many states and major hospital systems say they are better equipped. But medical professionals and some lawmakers have their doubts, as shortages begin to reappear.
总体而言，防护用品供应现在有所增加。许多州和大型医院系统声称他们装备良好。但是随着短缺现象再次出现，医疗专业人员和一些议员对此表示怀疑。
The American Medical Association wrote to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Vice President Mike Pence and members of Congress. The group called for a well-organized, national plan to buy and share gear across the country.
美国医学会致函联邦紧急事务管理局、副总统迈克·彭斯以及国会议员。该组织呼吁制定一项组织良好的国家级方案，在全国范围内采购和共享防护设备。
Democratic representative from New York Carolyn Maloney made an announcement last week ahead of a congressional committee hearing. Her announcement raised concerns about problems in the supply chain. Her report was based on talks with unnamed employees at medical supply companies. One of the employees warned that unprocessed material for gowns is not available at any cost in the amounts needed.
来自纽约的民主党代表卡罗琳·马洛尼上周在一次国会委员会的听证会之前宣布了这一消息。她的宣告引发了人们对供应链问题的担忧。她的报告是基于与医疗用品公司匿名雇员的谈话。一名雇员警告说，任何价格都买不到所需数量的防护服材料。
John Polowczyk is the U.S. military leader in charge of coronavirus-related supplies for the country. He told Congress last week that more than one-fourth of states have less than a 30-day supply.
约翰·波洛奇克是负责美国新冠病毒相关物资的军方领导人。他上周对国会表示，1/4以上州的供应不足30天。
"It would seem like in less than 30 days, we're going to have a real crisis," said Bill Foster, an Illinois Democratic representative.
伊利诺伊州民主党代表比尔·福斯特表示：“我们可能将会在30天内迎来一场真正的危机。”
The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, controls the nation's stockpile of protective equipment. The agency would not say which states have enough gear to last beyond 30 days and which do not. In June, the government started refilling its once-reduced stockpile with the goal of building up a two-month supply.
联邦紧急事务管理局控制着美国的防护用品储备。该机构不肯透露哪个州有足够维持30天以上的防护设备，哪个州没有。今年6月，政府开始补充一度减少的库存，目标是建立可维持两个月的供应。
As of June 10, FEMA had distributed or directed private companies to distribute gear including 74 million N95 masks and 66 million pairs of hand coverings. The agency said it changed its distribution method to send more equipment to places that needed it most.
截至6月10日，联邦紧急事务管理局已经分发或指示私营公司分发包括7400万个N95口罩和6600万副手套在内的防护用品。该机构表示，它改变了分发方式，将更多防护装备运到了最需要的地方。
All U.S. states and territories have received some protective gear from FEMA. But an AP study of the agency's own data found that the amounts varied widely when measured by population and the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases.
美国所有州和领地都从联邦紧急事务管理局获得了一些防护装备。但是美联社对该机构自身数据的研究发现，按人口和新冠肺炎确诊病例数来衡量时，数量存在很大差异。
The AP study found that low-population, mostly rural states received the largest amounts of FEMA equipment per confirmed case. By the middle of June, for example, Montana had received 1,125 pieces of protective gear per case. That is far higher than the 32 pieces per case that the state of Massachusetts received.
美联社研究发现，人口稀少的州（大多数是农业州）每确诊病例获得的联邦紧急事务管理局提供的防护装备数量最多。例如截至6月中旬，蒙大拿州每确诊病例收到了1125件防护装备。这远远高于马萨诸塞州收到的每确诊病例32件防护装备。
I'm Pete Musto.
我是皮特·玛索。
Words in This Story
gear – n. supplies, tools, or clothes needed for a special purpose
distribute – v. to give or deliver something to people
gown(s) – n. a loose piece of clothing that covers most of the body
mask(s) – n. a covering for your face or for part of your face
pandemic – n. an occurrence in which a disease spreads very quickly and affects a large number of people over a wide area or throughout the world
intend(ed) – v. to want something that you control, provide, or have made to be used for a particular purpose or by a particular person
supply chain – n. the series of processes involved in the production and distribution of a given good or service
stockpile – n. a large supply of something that is kept for future use
varied – v. been different or became different
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