Are Sharks Being Killed For Coronavirus Vaccines? - Forbes

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Thank you to Melissa Cristina Márquez of Forbes for writing a fantastic piece on our #SharkFreeVaccines initiative!

“Could up to 500,000 sharks be killed for Covid-19 vaccines, as Shark Allies states? Dr. Macdonald says, ‘I’m not sure the number of sharks harvested for a vaccine is the central issue. Shark-derived squalene is in use as a vaccine adjuvant—so where a more environmentally friendly and sustainable alternative exists, why wouldn’t we use it? From both a conservation and human health perspective, why would we want vaccine production to be potentially vulnerable to stock collapses?’ Leonardo Guida, a shark expert with the Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS), agrees and that ‘the last thing we should do risk the health of our oceans – our life support system – any further.’ Researcher Laurel Bristow, Clinical Research Coordinator III for Hope Clinic of the Emory Vaccine Center, also believes that the public pressure could cause the companies to change their squalene collection method. ‘But it all depends on which vaccines actually come to market, because none of the current front runners use any adjuvants at all.’”