本土感染激增
Taiwan’s de facto embassy in Washington is seeking to secure more Covid-19 vaccines from the United States, a quest that has become more urgent following a spike in community infections.
台灣新冠肺炎社區感染激增，疫苗需求緊迫，駐美代表處正積極向美方爭取疫苗。
de facto 事實上的;實際上的;實質的embassy(n.)大使館ambassador(n.)大使secure(v.)(經過一番努力)獲得;設法得到;爭取quest(n.)追求;任務community infections社區感染
Despite successfully preventing a major coronavirus outbreak in the country for more than a year, Taiwan has reported more than 1,000 domestic cases over the past week, shocking its people who had thought their lives were nearly virus-free.
儘管一年多以來台灣成功防堵國內爆發重大疫情，但過去一週以來出現超過1千例本土案例，讓以為國內幾乎「病毒免疫」的民眾感到十分驚慌。
despite(prep.)儘管=in spite ofdomestic(adj.)國內的shocking…=which shocked…-free 沒有…的;免除…的a smoke-free restaurant無菸餐廳a duty-free shop免稅商店
Taiwan’s envoy in Washington, Hsiao Bi-khim, said that she was in talks with the White House for a share of the 20 million Covid-19 vaccine doses that President Joe Biden has pledged to send overseas by the end of June.
台灣駐美代表蕭美琴表示已與白宮洽談，爭取部分拜登總統承諾在6月底前發送海外的2千萬劑Covid-19疫苗。
envoy(n.)使者;使節;代表be in talks with…與…洽談、協商=negotiate with…a share of… …的其中一部份=a portion of…=a part ofpledge to RV承諾;允諾
Hsiao also said that her office has been trying to ensure that the Moderna shots that the government has ordered from the US through commercial channels will arrive in Taiwan in June.
蕭美琴還說，駐美代表處正努力確保政府通過商業管道從美國訂購的莫德納疫苗於6月抵台。
has been V-ing現在完成進行式channel(n.)管道
While Taiwan has ranked among the top places in the world in its handling of the pandemic, its vaccine procurement and distribution have been slow.
雖然台灣防疫一直以來名列世界前段班，但疫苗的採購和施打一直很緩慢。
handle(v.)處理;處置;應對=tackleprocure(v.)procurement(n.)採購=purchase(n.)(v.)購買;採購distribution(n.)分配;分發
Currently, less than 1% of its population has been inoculated.
目前只有不到1％的人口有接種疫苗。
inoculate(v.)給⋯⋯接種 給⋯⋯注射疫苗=give sb. a shot=inject sb. with a vaccine=vaccinate
Until now, only 716,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines have arrived in Taiwan.
截至目前為止，只有71.6萬劑AZ疫苗已抵達台灣。
until now=so far=up to now截至目前為止have V.pp現在完成式
Among them, 117,000 vaccine doses were purchased directly from the pharmaceutical company, while 199,200 doses of the same brand were supplied via COVAX.
其中，直接向AZ公司採購的有11.7萬劑，而透過COVAX取得的有19.92萬劑。
among(prep.)在…之中purchase(v.)(正式)購買;採購=procurevia(prep.)透過=through
COVAX is a vaccine-sharing program run by the World Health Organization to provide doses to countries that may have difficulties obtaining them.
COVAX是世界衛生組織實施的疫苗共享計劃，專為取得疫苗有困難的國家提供疫苗。
run by…=which is run by…obtain(v.)取得=acquire=get
Yet, the number of vaccines Taiwan has received so far is just a drop in the ocean of what is needed to achieve “herd immunity” through vaccination.
不過，台灣目前收到的疫苗數對透過施打實現「群體免疫」所需的量來說只不過是杯水車薪。
a drop in the ocean 杯水車薪herd immunity群體免疫herd(n.)獸群、(貶)芸芸眾生;人群vaccination(n.)疫苗接種
For a population to reach a point of collective immunity where Covid-19 will not spread anymore, it is estimated that at least 70% of the population will need to receive a vaccine.
若要達到集體免疫，讓病毒不會再傳染下去，據估計至少要有7成的人口接種疫苗。
reach a point of… 到達…的地步collective(adj.)群體的;集體的collective memory集體記憶immunity(n.)免疫(力)immune(adj.)免疫的(be immune to…)