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年已经过去两周，随着奥密克戎成为世界上主要的变异株，美国新冠肺炎总死亡人数已经突破85万大关。这意味着：自新冠肺炎疫情开始以来，大约每400个美国人中就有一个因新冠丧命。

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. 

根据美国疾病控制和预防中心（CDC）公布的最新数据，在美国，因新冠死亡的人口中，白人占比63.4%，黑人14.5%，亚裔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，这些数字与各人种在美国总人口中所占的比例基本保持一致。但是，如果我们对美国新冠死亡情况有所了解的话，就会发现，新冠的死亡率与人种有一定关联度。

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10万美国黑人中就有147位因新冠死亡，其人种死亡率居四个主要人种之最。

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. 

进入2021年后，虽然黑人、亚裔和拉丁裔美国人的新冠死亡比率较上一年都或多或少有所浮动，但整体变化不大，然而，美国白人的新冠死亡占比却飙升至和上一年黑人同样的水平，即每十万人中有146人死于新冠。

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年到底发生了什么变化从而改变了这一局面呢？原因有很多。其一是致命的德尔塔变种；其二是看似“温和”但感染性更强的奥密克戎变异株；而最重要的就是疫苗的推出改变了整个局面。

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. 

正如我们所知的，美国早在2020年12月中旬便开始接种新冠疫苗，而全国性的疫苗接种更是仅在四个月后就全面启动。

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. 

从科学上讲，新冠疫苗对预防重症和新冠死亡有显著效果。因此，毫无意外地，尽管面临更致命的德尔塔变异株，在某种程度上，已接种疫苗的黑人、亚裔和西班牙裔美国人都能抵御新冠的“风暴”。

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，为什么唯独美国白人的死亡率却在上升？简单粗暴地来讲就是，如果你都不愿意接种疫苗，疫苗就没可能对你起到任何保护作用。

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. 

美国疾控中心的全国调查数据显示，在美国白人中，反疫苗人士的比例高达12.4%，明显高于黑人和拉丁裔9%左右的水平，而亚裔美国人反对疫苗的比例只有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. 

同一项调查还显示，在成年美国人中，反疫苗者主要集中在50岁以下的年龄段，并且和年纪最大的年龄组相比，在50-64岁的年龄组中，反疫苗人士的比例也相对较高。

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. 

结合以上两张图表，逻辑上来讲，我们可以推断：2021年，50岁以下美国白人的新冠死亡人数会上升。但是即便上升趋势是可预测的，真实的数字仍然让我们倒吸一口凉气。

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，在美国白人群体中，几乎50岁以下所有年龄段的新冠死亡人数都激增300%以上。而在50至64岁的年龄段中，新冠死亡总数增长了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. 

所有的这些数据都证明：疫苗接种越少，死亡人数越多。就像美国人经常说的，新冠病毒从不尊重国界，而是歧视肤色。但在2021年，承受这份歧视的却是美国白人。这并不是因为新冠病毒真的歧视他们，而是因为美国白人中的一小部分人“歧视”疫苗。

And the truth is, even one small portion can change the whole picture of COVID-19 death in the U.S. 

而事实是，即使是一小部分人口也能改变美国整个新冠死亡人口占比的全貌。