Cartoon dog pitches COVID vaccines to skeptical Japanese public

Cartoon dog pitches COVID vaccines to skeptical Japanese public

漫畫狗向心有疑慮的日本大眾推銷武漢肺炎疫苗

【摘要2021.2.26.自由】◎張沛元

As Japan gears up for a COVID-19 vaccination drive, a cartoon dog chatbot is doing its bit to reassure a vaccine-skeptical population and answer any questions they might have.

隨著日本準備施打武漢肺炎疫苗，一個以漫畫狗為造型的聊天機器人，也將盡一份自己的心力，讓對疫苗心有疑慮的民眾安心，以及解答民眾的任何問題。

The dog, a Shiba-inu known as Corowa-kun － from the Japanese words for "coronavirus" and "vaccine" － wears a white doctor’s coat and the app named for him gives automated answers to medical questions.

這隻名叫「Corowa君」—此名稱由日文的「新冠病毒」與「疫苗」組成—的柴犬身穿醫師白袍，以他命名的app會對醫療問題提供自動化回覆。

Trust in vaccines in Japan is among the lowest in the world, a study by the Lancet medical journal showed. Only half the population want to take a COVID-19 vaccine, a poll by national broadcaster NHK found last month.（REUTERS）

醫學期刊《刺胳針》的一項研究顯示，日本對疫苗的信賴排名全球後段班；日本放送協會上月的一份調查發現，只有半數民眾想打武漢肺炎疫苗。（路透）

新聞辭典

pitch：名詞，推銷，叫賣，

do one’s bit：慣用語，做自己份內的事，盡自己的一份力。例句：We all have to do our bits to stop the spread of COVID-19.（我們所有人都必須在遏阻武漢肺炎傳播上盡一己之力。）

tsar：名詞，俄國沙皇；特任官員；（政商界）要人，也可拼成czar或tzar。例句：US former Secretary of State John Kerry made his first remarks as President Biden’s climate czar, lamenting the "wasted years" in fighting the crisis under Donald Trump.（美國前國務卿凱瑞首度以拜登總統的氣候特任官的身分發言，悲嘆在川普主政時浪費掉能用來對抗氣候危機的多年時間。）