Two weeks into the year 2022, with Omicron becoming the dominant variant in the world, the total death toll of COVID-19 in the U.S. has sadly passed the 850,000 benchmark, which means roughly every one in 400 Americans has succumbed to the disease since the start of the pandemic.
2022年已經過去兩週，隨着奧密克戎成為世界上主要的變異株，美國新冠肺炎總死亡人數已經突破85萬大關。這意味着：自新冠肺炎疫情開始以來，大約每400個美國人中就有一個因新冠喪命。
According to the latest data released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), of all those Americans who have unfortunately lost their lives to the coronavirus, 63.4 percent are White, 14.5 percent are Black, 3.2 percent are Asian and 16.9 percent are Hispanic.
根據美國疾病控制和預防中心（CDC）公佈的最新數據，在美國，因新冠死亡的人口中，白人佔比63.4%，黑人14.5%，亞裔3.2%，拉丁裔16.9%。
On the surface, these figures seem not to be wildly different from the share of each race in the total U.S. population. But if we know anything already about the COVID-19 death in the U.S., it is that COVID-19 does not treat all the races in the same way.
表面上看，這些數字與各人種在美國總人口中所佔的比例基本保持一致。但是，如果我們對美國新冠死亡情況有所瞭解的話，就會發現，新冠的死亡率與人種有一定關聯度。
In 2020, the COVID-19 death rate for Black Americans was 147 per 100,000, the highest among the four main races.
2020年，每10萬美國黑人中就有147位因新冠死亡，其人種死亡率居四個主要人種之最。
In 2021, however, while the COVID-19 death rates for Black, Asian and Hispanic Americans had more or less remained the same, White Americans saw their death rate rising to 146 per 100,000, the same level of atrocity that Black people had suffered in the year before.
進入2021年後，雖然黑人、亞裔和拉丁裔美國人的新冠死亡比率較上一年都或多或少有所浮動，但整體變化不大，然而，美國白人的新冠死亡佔比卻飆升至和上一年黑人同樣的水平，即每十萬人中有146人死於新冠。
So, what changed in 2021 in relation to the coronavirus that ultimately led to this result? A lot, indeed. First, the deadly Delta variant, and then the seemingly milder but more transmissible Omicron variant, but above all, it is the vaccine roll-out that was the game changer.
所以， 2021年到底發生了什麼變化從而改變了這一局面呢？原因有很多。其一是致命的德爾塔變種；其二是看似“温和”但感染性更強的奧密克戎變異株；而最重要的就是疫苗的推出改變了整個局面。
As we know, vaccination in the U.S. started as early as mid-December 2020, with the full-scale roll-out beginning just four months later.
正如我們所知的，美國早在2020年12月中旬便開始接種新冠疫苗，而全國性的疫苗接種更是僅在四個月後就全面啓動。
Since the science in vaccination to prevent severe illness and death is so strong, it is no surprise that, despite facing a more deadly Delta variant, Black, Asian and Hispanic Americans who had been inoculated had all in some way weathered the stormy effect.
從科學上講，新冠疫苗對預防重症和新冠死亡有顯著效果。因此，毫無意外地，儘管面臨更致命的德爾塔變異株，在某種程度上，已接種疫苗的黑人、亞裔和西班牙裔美國人都能抵禦新冠的“風暴”。
But, why was this not the case for White Americans? A simple answer to that, blunt may it sound, is that vaccines won’t protect you if you do not want to take them.
但是，為什麼唯獨美國白人的死亡率卻在上升？簡單粗暴地來講就是，如果你都不願意接種疫苗，疫苗就沒可能對你起到任何保護作用。
A nationwide survey conducted by CDC suggests, among White Americans, a stunning 12.4 percent of them are against vaccination, compared to around nine percent in Black and Hispanic, and only one percent in Asian Americans.
美國疾控中心的全國調查數據顯示，在美國白人中，反疫苗人士的比例高達12.4%，明顯高於黑人和拉丁裔9%左右的水平，而亞裔美國人反對疫苗的比例只有1%。
The same survey also shows, among adult Americans, anti-vaxxers are largely concentrated in age groups below 50, with the group aged between 50 and 64 also accommodating a relatively higher share of anti-vaxxers compared to the oldest ones.
同一項調查還顯示，在成年美國人中，反疫苗者主要集中在50歲以下的年齡段，並且和年紀最大的年齡組相比，在50-64歲的年齡組中，反疫苗人士的比例也相對較高。
To combine the two pictures, we can logically predict the death toll of White Americans aged under 50 to rise in 2021. But even it’s predictable, the actual number is still breathtaking.
結合以上兩張圖表，邏輯上來講，我們可以推斷：2021年，50歲以下美國白人的新冠死亡人數會上升。但是即便上升趨勢是可預測的，真實的數字仍然讓我們倒吸一口涼氣。
In 2021, among White Americans, almost all age groups under 50 had seen their COVID-19 death toll surge by more than 300 percent compared to 2020, while the age group between 50 and 64 experienced a rise by above 150 percent.
2021年，和上年相比，在美國白人羣體中，幾乎50歲以下所有年齡段的新冠死亡人數都激增300%以上。而在50至64歲的年齡段中，新冠死亡總數增長了150%以上。
The evidence here is crystal clear: less vaccination, more death. As people in the U.S. used to say, COVID-19 does not respect borders but discriminates against colors. In 2021, it is White Americans, who were bearing the burden of discrimination, not because COVID-19 is discriminating against them, but because one small portion of them is “discriminating” against vaccines.
所有的這些數據都證明：疫苗接種越少，死亡人數越多。就像美國人經常説的，新冠病毒從不尊重國界，而是歧視膚色。但在2021年，承受這份歧視的卻是美國白人。這並不是因為新冠病毒真的歧視他們，而是因為美國白人中的一小部分人“歧視”疫苗。
And the truth is, even one small portion can change the whole picture of COVID-19 death in the U.S.
而事實是，即使是一小部分人口也能改變美國整個新冠死亡人口占比的全貌。