VOA常速英语:老虎伍兹车祸重伤,或将无法重返赛场

This is VOA news. Reporting by remote, I'm David Byrd. A big real-world test has confirmed Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine is very effective at preventing serious illness or death. AP's Sagar Meghani reports. The Pfizer vaccine showed benefits in smaller, limited testing. Now results published in the New England Journal of Medicine after a mass vaccination campaign give reassurance that the benefits persist when the vaccines used in a general population. In this case - more than a half million people in Israel of varying ages and health conditions - it was 62 percent effective and preventing severe disease after a single shot and 92 percent after two doses. It's estimated effectiveness or preventing death was 72 percent two to three weeks after the first shot. Sagar Meghani, Washington.

If the U.S. Food and Drug Administration grants emergency use authorization to Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine, it is still not expected to significantly boost vaccine supplies right away. AP's Ben Thomas reports. "... we were surprised to learn that Johnson & Johnson was behind on their manufacturing." That's White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki. To be clear, Johnson & Johnson's vaccine has not yet received FDA's green light though that is expected in the matter of days. But even so, White House Virus Response Coordinator Jeff Zients notes the company is expected to "deliver the full 100 million doses which is required by contract by the end of June." And he says the Biden administration is helping J&J with equipment and raw materials to boost production. "I think they're in a better place now." And if emergency use is approved, "we will waste no time getting this life-saving vaccination into the arms of Americans." Ben Thomas, Washington.

Golfer Tiger Woods faces a difficult recovery after crashing his SUV on Tuesday. AP's Ed Donahue has more. L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva says they will look into whether speed was a factor. But there were no indications of drugs or alcohol. "This is why it is an accident." Wood shattered bones in his lower legs. Some of the fractures went through the skin. Dr. Michael Gardner at Stanford Medical says unfortunately, "it's very, very unlikely that he returns to be a professional golfer." Fellow golfer Rory McIlroy says Tiger Woods golf shouldn't be on a map right now. He is alive. "He's a human being at the end of the day and he's already been through so much." Tiger Woods was rehabbing from back surgery before the crash. I'm Ed Donahue.

An up day on Wall Street, with all three major indices closing higher. Reporting by remote, I'm David Byrd, VOA news.