Coming out strongly against social media posts that claimed Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin contains calf serum. The Union Health Ministry stressed that “facts have been twisted and misrepresented”.
The ministry clarified that the newborn calf serum is used only for the preparation and growth of Vero cells. This technique has been used for decades in Polio, Rabies, and Influenza vaccines and it’s a ‘Standard Practice’.
The ministry further explained that the Vero cells, after the growth, are washed with water and chemicals, also technically known as buffer, several times to make it free from the newborn calf serum.
The Vero cells are completely destroyed in the process of viral growth. Thereafter this grown virus is also killed (inactivated) and purified. This killed virus is then used to make the final vaccine, and in the final vaccine formulation, no calf serum is used.
The ministry clarified the final vaccine (COVAXIN) does not contain newborn calf serum at all and the calf serum is not an ingredient of the final vaccine product.
Bharat Biotech also issued a clarification that says COVAXIN is highly purified to contain only inactivated virus components by removing other impurities.
Also Read: ‘Delta Plus’ variant may trigger 3rd Covid wave in Maharshtra https://www.dishanews.com/national/maharashtra/maharashtra-delta-plus-variant-may-trigger-3rd-covid-wave/
