Should people wear masks in public to slow the spread of sars-cov-2?
人們是否應(yīng)該在公共場合戴口罩以減緩sars-cov-2的傳播？
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says don’t bother. The British government agrees. America’s Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) initially discouraged it but by the beginning of April had reversed course. In parts of Asia, including China, it is baked into public behaviour and encouraged by health agencies, even when there is no ongoing public-health crisis. The issue? Whether or not members of the public should wear face-masks in a bid to slow the spread of SARS-COV-2, the virus responsible for the covid-19 pandemic.
翻譯：
世界衛(wèi)生組織說不需要費(fèi)心（意思就是戴不戴都行，我覺得是這個意思）。英國政府表示同意這個說法。美國疾病預(yù)防控制中心一開始也不鼓勵戴口罩，但是到4月初，情況已經(jīng)逆轉(zhuǎn)了。即使在沒有持續(xù)的公共衛(wèi)生危機(jī)的情況下，在包括中國在內(nèi)的亞洲部分地區(qū)，戴口罩被納入公眾的行為中（感覺是在說戴口罩已經(jīng)成為公眾行為的一種習(xí)慣，bake是烘烤的意思）并受到衛(wèi)生機(jī)構(gòu)的鼓勵。問題是什么呢？問題是人們是否應(yīng)該戴上口罩以減慢SARS-COV-2的傳播，這里SARS-COV-2（新冠病毒的官方名字）是導(dǎo)致covid-19的病毒。
單詞：
in a bid to 為了
Understanding all the ways that SARS-COV-2 is transmitted is a matter of active scientific discussion. In the main, though, the virus hitches a ride on droplets of mucus or saliva that come out of the respiratory tracts of infected individuals. These may be expelled during normal breathing or, more commonly, as a cough that propels them a few metres into the air. Thus propelled, they may reach another person’s eyes, mouth or nose directly, and go on to infect cells in that individual’s airways. Or they may land on a surface, on which the virus particles they contain could survive for hours, or even days, and from which those particles may eventually be transferred to others who touch the surface and then touch their own face or mouth.
翻譯：
理解SARS-COV-2的所有傳播途徑成為了一個火爆的科學(xué)討論問題（這句話我翻譯找不到合適的詞來描述，感覺是在說這個新冠病毒傳播的途徑成為了科學(xué)界的一個焦點(diǎn)問題）。基本上，病毒會搭乘在從感染者呼吸道出來的粘液或唾液飛沫中（這里的hitch a ride非常有意思）。這些飛沫可能在正常呼吸時被排出，或者更為常見的是，通過咳嗽被推入空中好幾米。因此，它們可能會直接到達(dá)他人的眼睛，嘴巴或鼻子，并繼續(xù)感染這個人呼吸道中的細(xì)胞。或者它們可能會落在（物體的）表面上，其中包含的病毒顆粒可以存活數(shù)小時甚至數(shù)天，最終這些病毒顆粒可能會轉(zhuǎn)移到接觸了這些物體的表面然后摸了自己的臉或嘴的人。
單詞：
hitch a ride 搭便車
mucus /‘mju?k?s/ n. 粘液；黏液
saliva /s?’la?v?/ n. 唾液；涎
tract /tr?kt/ n. （連通身體組織或器官的）道，束? 比如the digestive tract? 消化道
propel /pr?’pel/ vt. 推進(jìn)；驅(qū)使；驅(qū)策；激勵
airway /‘e?we?/ n.氣道
There is no doubt that masks form a barrier to transmission, by stopping droplets passing from infected to uninfected people close by. The WHO recommends standard surgical masks as part of the personal protective equipment to be worn by doctors and nurses who are caring for covid-19 patients in clinics and hospitals. The same goes for anyone caring for a patient at home. In most instances this is good enough, according to a meta-analysis of four randomised controlled trials that was published this month in Influenza by Mark Loeb of McMaster University, in Canada. Indeed, Dr Loeb found no significant differences between surgical masks and their more sophisticated cousins, N95 respirators, when it came to protecting health-care workers from viral infections transmitted by droplets—including those caused by coronaviruses.
翻譯：
毫無疑問，口罩可以通過阻止飛沫從感染者傳播到附近的未感染者來阻礙病毒傳播。 WHO建議標(biāo)準(zhǔn)外科口罩由診所和醫(yī)院中護(hù)理covid-19患者的醫(yī)生和護(hù)士佩戴，作為個人防護(hù)的一部分。對于在家中照顧病人的人也是這樣。根據(jù)Mark Loeb本月在《流感》上發(fā)表的四項(xiàng)隨機(jī)對照試驗(yàn)的綜合分析，在大多數(shù)情況下這（標(biāo)準(zhǔn)外科口罩）就已經(jīng)足夠了。在保護(hù)醫(yī)護(hù)人員免受飛沫傳播的病毒（包括由冠狀病毒引起的病毒感染）的感染時，Loeb發(fā)現(xiàn)，外科口罩與其更先進(jìn)的表兄弟（哈哈哈哈妙啊這個表兄弟用的）N95之間沒有顯著差異。
單詞：
meta-analysis /?met??'n?lisis/
統(tǒng)計(jì)學(xué)上來說，元分析（meta-analysis，或譯作后設(shè)分析、集成分析、綜合分析、薈萃分析）是指將多個研究結(jié)果集成在一起的統(tǒng)計(jì)方法。就用途而言，它是文獻(xiàn)回顧的新方法。
respirator /‘resp?re?t?/ - n. 口罩,防毒面具 -? (人工)呼吸機(jī)
This suggests that N95 respirators (which are thicker, more rigid, and designed to form a close seal around the nose and mouth) should be reserved for riskier situations. “N95” means they block at least 95% of particles smaller than 0.3 microns across. They are, therefore, appropriate for situations when the threat comes from objects smaller than exhaled droplets—meaning less than about five microns across. These particularly include times when doctors and nurses need to “intubate” a patient in an intensive care unit, by inserting the tube of a ventilator deep into that patient’s trachea. Intubation is a forceful procedure, and it creates aerosol particles (ie, smaller than five microns) that may carry viruses much farther through the air than droplets can manage. Though it remains unclear whether SARS-COV-2 is transmitted via aerosols in this way, those performing intubations should be cautious, says Lisa Brosseau, a respiratory-protection and infectious-diseases scientist at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
翻譯：
這表明應(yīng)將N95呼吸器（更厚，更堅(jiān)固，并在鼻子和嘴周圍形成緊密密封）用于風(fēng)險更高的情況。 “N95”表示它們阻擋至少95％的小于0.3微米的顆粒。因此，它們適用于阻擋比呼出的飛沫還小的顆粒，即小于約5微米的顆粒。尤其是當(dāng)醫(yī)生和護(hù)士需要給重癥監(jiān)護(hù)室的病人“插管”的時候，即將呼吸機(jī)的管子深深插入該患者的氣管中。氣管插管是一個強(qiáng)制性的過程，它會形成氣溶膠顆粒（即小于5微米），而氣溶膠顆粒相對于飛沫來說可以通過空氣將病毒傳播得更遠(yuǎn)。芝加哥伊利諾伊大學(xué)呼吸保護(hù)和傳染病科學(xué)家Lisa Brosseau說，盡管尚不清楚SARS-COV-2是否以這種方式通過氣溶膠傳播，但進(jìn)行插管的人應(yīng)謹(jǐn)慎行事。
Guidance for health-care workers is, therefore, clear: wear masks. Advice for members of the public has been more variable. Since the start of the outbreak the WHO and the CDC have advised people to avoid the use of masks unless they are in direct contact with symptomatic covid-19 patients. This is because such masks are a scarce resource. At the end of February Jerome Adams, America’s surgeon-general, beseeched his fellow citizens on Twitter to “seriously people—STOP BUYING MASKS!” because a run on them might cause supply problems for health-care workers.
翻譯：
因此，對醫(yī)護(hù)人員的指導(dǎo)很明確：戴口罩。而對公眾的建議則更加變化無常。從疫情爆發(fā)以來，世衛(wèi)組織和疾病預(yù)防控制中心建議人們，除非要直接與有癥狀的covid-19患者接觸，其他情況不用戴口罩。因?yàn)檫@樣子的口罩是稀缺資源。 2月底，美國衛(wèi)生與公共服務(wù)部醫(yī)務(wù)總監(jiān)杰羅姆·亞當(dāng)斯（Jerome Adams）在推特上懇求同胞們：“說真的大家——不要再買口罩了！”因?yàn)檫@種搶購現(xiàn)象可能會導(dǎo)致醫(yī)療工作者的供應(yīng)問題。
單詞：
trachea /?tre?ki:?/ n. 氣管,導(dǎo)管,螺旋紋管
intubate /‘?ntj?be?t/ vt. 把管子插進(jìn)
forceful /‘f??sf?l/ adj. 有說服力的；強(qiáng)有力的；堅(jiān)強(qiáng)的
aerosol /‘e?r?s?l/ n. 噴霧器；氣霧劑；浮質(zhì)；氣溶膠
beseech /b?’si?t?/ vt. 懇求；乞求(某事物)
A month or so later, the advice seems to be changing. The CDC now encourages the populace to wear homemade coverings for their mouths and noses. Dr Adams himself starred in an official video demonstrating how to use rubber bands around folded pieces of cloth to make DIY masks. Recently, the Czech Republic and Slovakia started requiring anyone stepping out into certain public places to use nose and mouth coverings. The same rule applies in Lombardy, in northern Italy, which was the centre of the covid-19 outbreak in that country. And Austria now requires masks in places such as supermarkets and pharmacies.
翻譯：
一個月左右后，（戴不戴口罩的）建議似乎正在發(fā)生改變。 CDC現(xiàn)在鼓勵民眾戴自制的口罩，蓋住口鼻。亞當(dāng)斯（上面的美國衛(wèi)生與公共服務(wù)部醫(yī)務(wù)總監(jiān)）本人曾出演官方視頻，演示如何在折疊的布片周圍使用橡皮筋制作口罩。最近，捷克共和國和斯洛伐克開始要求進(jìn)入某些公共場合的人戴口罩。在意大利北部的Lombardy實(shí)施了相同的規(guī)定，Lombardy是意大利covid-19爆發(fā)的中心。現(xiàn)在奧地利的超市和藥房等地方都需要人們佩戴口罩。
單詞：
star /stɑ?/ - vt. 用星號標(biāo)于；由…主演，由…擔(dān)任主角 - vi. 擔(dān)任主角
rubber band 橡皮筋
The changing advice is testament to an evolving understanding of sars-cov-2 itself, and also to continuing debate among scientists about how far previous research on the effectiveness of masks can usefully be brought to bear on the current crisis.
翻譯：
不斷變化的建議證明了人們對SARS-COV-2的逐步理解。同樣證明了對于之前口罩有效性的研究能多大程度上對現(xiàn)在的危機(jī)有用，科學(xué)家們一直爭論不斷。（這個真的太難理解了。）
句子分析：
and also后面的這半句話這么看： The changing advice is testament to continuing debate among scientists about (how far previous research on the effectiveness of masks 【can】 usefully be brought to bear on the current crisis.)?
括號里可以這樣看：how far ……? can (usefully) be? brought to bear on the current crisis.? ? ? …能多大程度上對現(xiàn)在的危機(jī)有用
單詞：
testament /'test?m(?)nt/ n. 證據(jù)；證明 （同義詞 testimony）
bring sth to bear (on sb/sth)? 把精力用于；對…施加壓力（或影響等）
例句：
1.We must bring all our energies to bear upon the task. 我們必須全力以赴不辱使命。
2.Pressure was brought to bear on us to finish the work ontime. 我們得按時完成工作，沒有回旋余地。
It might seem intuitively obvious that having people cover their noses and mouths in public would be useful. In fact, the science of the matter is not clear-cut. Extrapolating to the laity the research which shows that masks and respirators are effective for those who work in health care is actually problematic.
翻譯：
從直覺上看，讓人們在公共場合遮住口鼻明顯會很有用。而事實(shí)上，它的科學(xué)性還不那么明確。認(rèn)為口罩和呼吸器對醫(yī)療工作者有效的研究，（但是將其結(jié)論）推斷到普通民眾的話實(shí)際上是有問題的。（意思是，對醫(yī)療工作者有效的話，不一定對普通民眾也有效，下一段會解釋原因）
句子分析：
Extrapolating to the laity the research which shows that masks and respirators are effective for those who work in health care is actually problematic.這句話最好這么分割，Extrapolating to the laity, the research（which shows that masks and respirators are effective for those who work in health care） is actually problematic.
單詞：
intuitively /in'tju:itivli/ - adv. 直覺地;直觀地
clear-cut /‘kli?'k?t/ adj. 輪廓鮮明的,清晰的
extrapolate /?k’str?p?le?t/ vt. (由已知資料對未知事實(shí)或價值)推算,推斷
laity /‘le??t?/ n. 俗人；外行人；門外漢
problematic /pr?bl?’m?t?k/ - adj. 成問題的;有疑問的;陰暗的 - adv. 成問題地,有疑問地
One reason is that doctors and nurses are better-trained than others in how to wear these devices. For example, surgical masks work less well when they become moist, and so need to be replaced regularly throughout the day. Health-care workers will do this routinely. A member of the public might not. As to n95 respirators, they are notoriously difficult to fit in a way that seals them properly to a user’s face. Yet not fitting them correctly can negate their benefits—as can touching the front of a mask, or taking it off in the wrong way and so contaminating your hands.
翻譯：
原因之一是醫(yī)生和護(hù)士在如何佩戴這些設(shè)備方面比其他人受到了更好的培訓(xùn)。例如，外科口罩潮濕時效果不佳，因此需要全天定期更換。醫(yī)療工作者會定期做這件事。但公眾可能不會。對于N95防護(hù)口罩，眾所周知，很難以正確的方式將其密封到臉上。然而，不正確地佩戴N95會使其無效，觸摸面罩的正面或以錯誤的方式脫掉口罩從而對手造成污染也是一樣（讓口罩變得沒什么用）。
句子分析：
最后一句話 Yet not fitting them correctly can negate their benefits—as can touching the front of a mask, or taking it off in the wrong way and so contaminating your hands.其中的as 是“像……一樣”，寫完整應(yīng)該是as 【touching the front of a mask, or taking it off in the wrong way and so contaminating your hands】 (can negate their benefits).就像是我們以前學(xué)的句子：They go to concerts frequently, as do I.? 可以譯為：他們經(jīng)常去聽音樂會，我也是。? 也可譯為：他們和我一樣，經(jīng)常去聽音樂會。
單詞：
negate /n?’ge?t/ - vt. 取消, 使無效 - 否定;否認(rèn)
Nor do masks and respirators protect people’s eyes from virus particles. Only close-fitting goggles can do that. Finally, as Susan Michie, a health psychologist at University College London, observes, people might feel a false sense of security when wearing masks, and thus pay less attention to other important behaviours such as social distancing and handwashing.
口罩和呼吸器也不能保護(hù)人的眼睛免受病毒顆粒的侵害。只有緊的護(hù)目鏡才能做到。最后，倫敦大學(xué)學(xué)院的健康心理學(xué)家Susan Michie觀察到，人們戴著口罩時可能會感到虛假的安全感，因此很少注意其他重要行為，例如保持社交距離和洗手。
單詞：
close-fitting /'kl?uz,fiti?/ adj. 緊身的,貼身的
This does not, of course, show that masks for the public are of no use. A better way to think about them in this context might be that, rather than helping healthy people shield themselves from infection, they could be used to stop those who are already infected broadcasting the virus into the air around them. Given that much transmission of SARS-COV-2 is suspected to occur before someone who has the virus actually shows any symptoms (see follow- ing article), encouraging everyone to wear masks in public regardless of whether they are symptomatic could be a useful way to break the chain of transmission.
翻譯：
當(dāng)然，這并不表明為公眾提供口罩是沒有用的。在這種情況下，對它們進(jìn)行思考的一種更好的方法可能是，它們可以用來阻止已經(jīng)感染的人向周圍的人傳播病毒，而不是幫助健康的人免受感染。考慮到SARS-COV-2的大量傳播可能是在被感染的人實(shí)際表現(xiàn)出任何癥狀之前發(fā)生的，鼓勵所有人在公共場合戴口罩（無論其是否有癥狀）可能是一種打破傳播鏈的有用的方法。
A study published in the current edition of Nature Medicine backs this idea up. Ben Cowling, an epidemiologist at Hong Kong University, measured the amount of virus shed, in half an hour of breaths and coughs, by participants infected with a variety of respiratory viruses, including influenza, rhinovirus and coronaviruses (though not sars-cov-2). In the case of those with coronaviruses, 30% of droplets and 40% of aerosol particles exhaled by participants without a surgical face-mask on contained virus particles. When they wore masks, that dropped to zero.
翻譯：
最新版《自然醫(yī)學(xué)》上發(fā)表的一項(xiàng)研究支持了這一想法。香港大學(xué)的流行病學(xué)家Ben Cowling測量了被幾種不同的呼吸道病毒（包括流感，鼻病毒和冠狀病毒）感染的人（雖然不是sars-cov-2）在半小時的呼吸和咳嗽中呼出的病毒數(shù)量。對于被冠狀病毒感染的患者，沒帶外科口罩的參與者呼出的飛沫的30%和氣溶膠顆粒的40%包含病毒。而當(dāng)他們戴著口罩時，病毒含量降至零。
句子分析：
1.Ben Cowling, an epidemiologist at Hong Kong University, measured the amount of virus shed, （in half an hour of breaths and coughs插入語）, by participants infected with a variety of respiratory viruses, including influenza, rhinovirus and coronaviruses (though not sars-cov-2).
可以簡化成這樣： Ben Cowling measured the amount of virus shed by participants infected with a variety of respiratory viruses.
2.In the case of those with coronaviruses, 30% of droplets and 40% of aerosol particles （exhaled by participants without a surgical face-mask on）contained virus particles.
Rupert Beale, an infections biologist at the Francis Crick Institute in London, says that Dr Cowling’s study presents “strong and compelling” evidence in favour of the public wearing masks, but he warns that this approach should not be used in isolation. It could instead form part of a wider “exit strategy” from lockdown, combined with tried-and-tested measures including continued social distancing and thorough handwashing.
翻譯：
倫敦弗朗西斯·克里克研究所（Francis Crick Institute）的感染生物學(xué)家魯珀特·比爾（Rupert Beale）說，Dr. Cowling的研究給出了支持公眾戴口罩的“有力且令人信服”的證據(jù)，但他警告說，這種方法不應(yīng)孤立使用。取而代之的是，它可以構(gòu)成更廣泛的從封鎖隔離“退出策略”的一部分，并結(jié)合久經(jīng)考驗(yàn)的措施，包括持續(xù)的保持社交距離和徹底洗手。
單詞：
compelling /k?m?pel??/ - adj. 引人入勝的;扣人心弦的 - 非常強(qiáng)烈的;不可抗拒的 - 令人信服的，有說服力的
in isolation 單獨(dú)地；孤立地
tried and tested 經(jīng)過考驗(yàn)的；可靠的；可信賴的
This only works, though, if there are enough masks to go around. According to the? WHO, “the chronic global shortage of personal protective equipment is now one of the most urgent threats to our collective ability to save lives. We must provide the protection health-care workers deserve to save our lives.”
翻譯：
但是，這只有在有足夠的口罩的情況下才有效。根據(jù)世界衛(wèi)生組織的說法，“全球個人防護(hù)裝備的長期短缺是目前我們共同拯救生命的最緊迫威脅之一。我們必須為醫(yī)護(hù)人員提供應(yīng)有的保護(hù)，以挽救我們的生命。”
單詞：
go around 足夠分給每個人；夠每人一份
例句：There aren't enough chairs to go around. 椅子不夠坐。
Which means that, if mask-wearing is to become a widespread weapon in the armory, members of the public may have to make their own. This is not as bad as it sounds. An experiment carried out in 2013 by Public Health England, that country’s health-protection agency, found that a commercially made surgical mask filtered 90% of virus particles from the air coughed out by participants, a vacuum cleaner bag filtered out 86%, a tea towel blocked 72% and a cotton T-shirt 51%—though fitting any DIY mask properly and ensuring a good seal around the mouth and nose is crucial.
翻譯：
這意味著，如果口罩成為軍械庫中的一種普遍武器（不是很懂），公眾可能必須自己制作（口罩）。這并不像聽起來那樣糟糕。英國公共衛(wèi)生局于2013年進(jìn)行的一項(xiàng)實(shí)驗(yàn)發(fā)現(xiàn)，商業(yè)生產(chǎn)的口罩可以過濾掉參與者咳嗽出的90％的病毒顆粒，用吸塵器袋可過濾掉86％，抹布能阻擋72％，棉質(zhì)T恤能阻擋51％（然而正確佩戴任何自制口罩并確保口鼻周圍的良好密封性至關(guān)重要。）
單詞：
armoury /'ɑ:m?ri/ n. 兵工廠，軍械庫
vacuum cleaner 吸塵器；真空吸塵器；真空清潔器
tea towel n. （擦拭已洗餐具的）茶巾，抹布
Elaine Shuo Feng, an epidemiologist at Oxford University, has surveyed the varying advice given to members of the public around the world. In a commentary published recently in the Lancet Respiratory Medicine she and her colleagues argued that the absence of robust evidence on the public use of masks should not prevent precautionary action. It would be rational, they conclude, to recommend that people in quarantine who are not symptomatic wear face-masks if they need to leave home for any reason, in order to prevent potential asymptomatic or presymptomatic transmission if they unknowingly have the virus. Vulnerable populations, such as older adults and those with underlying medical conditions, should probably also wear face-masks if available.
翻譯：
牛津大學(xué)的流行病學(xué)家Elaine Shuo Feng調(diào)查了向世界各地公眾提供的各種建議。她和她的同事在《柳葉刀呼吸醫(yī)學(xué)》上最近發(fā)表的一篇評書文章中指出，即使缺乏關(guān)于公眾使用口罩的有力證據(jù)，也不能阻止預(yù)防措施的使用。他們得出結(jié)論的是，建議無癥狀的隔離人員如果出于某種原因需要離開家時要戴口罩，以防止在不知情的情況下有潛在的無癥狀或癥狀前傳播。弱勢群體，例如老年人和患有基礎(chǔ)疾病的人群，也應(yīng)戴口罩（如果有的話）。
單詞：
rational /'r??(?)n(?)l/ - adj. 理性的；合理的
asymptomatic /?,s?mpt?’m?t?k/ adj. 無臨床癥狀的
presymptomatic 癥狀發(fā)生前的
For everyone else, washing hands and maintaining social distance is the most important way to keep transmission down. Wearing masks in public does no harm, and may do some good—but that is always providing it does not reduce the supply available to local doctors and nurses.
翻譯：
對于其他所有人來說，洗手并保持社交距離是降低傳播的最重要方法。在公共場合戴口罩無害，并且可能有好處，但這始終應(yīng)該在建立不減少當(dāng)?shù)蒯t(yī)生和護(hù)士的口罩供給的基礎(chǔ)上（意思是先保證醫(yī)生和護(hù)士的醫(yī)療資源充足）。
單詞：
providing /pr?’va?d??/ conj. 如果；假如；在…條件下
