[ad_1]
Activists warn that sharks could end up becoming indirect victims of the coronavirus pandemic, because at least five of the COVID-19 vaccines currently in development contain squalene, a natural component that is currently manufactured commercially from sharks.
Assuming one of those vaccines ends up being produced globally and every person on the planet receives two doses, more than half a million sharks would die, according to Shark Allies, a California-based advocacy group.
That could potentially endanger vulnerable shark populations, the group said, urging more research on making squalene from plants like fermented sugar cane.
Get The Times of Israel Daily Issue By Email And Never Miss Our Top Stories Sign Up For Free
Squalene is a component of some adjuvants that are added to vaccines to enhance the immune response, according to the World Health Organization. It is a component of a flu vaccine and several experimental vaccines, including malaria, the WHO has said.
“Harvesting something from a wild animal will never be sustainable, especially if it is a superior predator that does not reproduce in large numbers,” Stefanie Brendl, founder and CEO of Shark Allies, told the Telegraph.
A laboratory technician processes blood samples for COVID-19 vaccine research, Miami, Florida, September 2, 2020 (AP Photo / Taimy Alvarez)
“There are so many unknowns about how big and how long this pandemic could last, and then how many versions of it we have to go through, that if we continue to use sharks, the number of sharks caught for this product could be really high, year after year after year. “, He said.
“Many of the species selected for being rich in squalene, such as the devouring shark and the basking shark, are classified as vulnerable, which means that their populations are declining and could be in danger of extinction if the circumstances that threaten them continue.”
Shark Allies says that an estimated 2.7 to 3 million sharks already die each year from their squalene alone.
According to the group, the five vaccines containing shark squalene are being developed by GSK, Clover Biopharmaceuticals, Seqirus / University of Queensland / CSL, Medicago Inc. and Veterinary Pharmacologists SAC / Universidad Peruana Cayetana Heredia.
[ad_2]
