The number of Covid patients in the world has crossed three crore. Most countries are after vaccine research. The Covid vaccine is said to kill more than five million sharks if it is to be given to everyone in the world. The oil extracted from the liver of sharks is required for the manufacture of the vaccine. But shark conservationists say mass killing of sharks could lead to extinction, as it is unclear how long Covid will last in the world.
According to the report, about five lakh sharks will have to be killed for the natural oil needed to make the Covid vaccine. The report also states that squalene oil, which is produced from the liver of sharks, is needed for the manufacture of vaccines. Squalene is currently being used to build a strong immune system and improve the functioning of vaccines. Squalen is currently used in flu vaccines by the British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline. The company had said in May that it would manufacture tens of millions of Doscovid-related vaccines.
It would take 3,000 sharks to produce a ton of squalene oil. Each dose of the vaccine, which contains oil from the liver of sharks, kills two and a half million sharks in order to give it to everyone in the world. But Sky News reported that five lakh sharks would have to be killed to be given two doses of the drug. Two doses of the vaccine will be needed to boost the immunity of the global population. Efforts are also being made to produce synthetic form from fermented sugarcane instead of squalene to avoid the threat to sharks. “Killing sharks that do not reproduce on a large scale in this way is not a sustainable way.” Said Stephanie Brendel, who works on shark conservation.
