Half a million sharks may be killed to make Covid-19 vaccine, say experts

A California-based group Shark Allies has said that immunising everyone in the world with two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine would require liver oil harvested from half a million sharks. Half a million sharks may have to be killed to immunise the entire world with the Covid-19 vaccine, a shark support group has said. Sharks are harvested for a natural oil that is being used in the Covdi-19 vaccine candidates. This natural oil is called squalene, which is currently used as an adjuvant in medicine - an ingredient that increases the effectiveness of a vaccine by creating a stronger immune response. Around 3,000 sharks are needed to extract one tonne of squalene. A California-based group Shark Allies has said that immunising everyone in the world with one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine containing squalene would require around 250,000 sharks, depending on the quantities used. This doubles to half a million if two doses are required, as researchers say is likely. According to the Shark Allies...