"No Newborn Calf Serum In Covaxin," Says Govt: 5 Things About The Vaccine Controversy

There is no newborn calf serum in Covaxin, the centre said Wednesday after social media erupted in discussion over the formula of India's homegrown vaccine. Stating "facts have been twisted and misrepresented," the Ministry of Health in a release said calf serum is only used in the preparation of vero cells and is not present in the final product.

Talk of newborn calf serum in Covaxin emerged June 15 on social media following the circulation of an RTI response by the government, which prompted a slew of theories around the slaughter of cows and bovine ingredients in the Bharat Biotech-manufactured vaccine.

"...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," the government has cleared.

#MythvsFacts#LargestVaccineDrive

The final vaccine product of #COVAXIN does not contain newborn calf serum at all.https://t.co/2sbXI3xOTu pic.twitter.com/yOmNpBB9gA

— Ministry of Health (@MoHFW_INDIA) June 16, 2021

Controversy Around Newborn Calf Serum In Covaxin: Here's What Happened

1. An RTI query by one Vikas Patni went viral on Twitter earlier this week, containing a question about the presence of fetal bovine serum (FBS) in the COVID-19 vaccine. The response stated FBS was used in the "revival process" of cells for Covaxin.

2. The purported RTI fired up conspiracy theories and postulations. Saying FBS was "a portion of clotted blood obtained from less than 20 days young cow-calves, after slaughtering them," one user called the process "heinous."

3. Newborn calf serum, however, is a common ingredient in the preparation process of vaccines the world over, experts say. The centre's release mentions the technique has been used for years in polio, rabies, influenza vaccines. "These vero cells, after the growth, are washed with water, with chemicals (also technically known as buffer), many times to make it free from the newborn calf serum," it further states.

4. It "is not used to make vaccines, but as an agent to grow the cell. After that, cell is purified and a virus is introduced into that cell. This is where the virus multiplies, it is harvested and killed. A similar process happens in polio vaccine manufacturing too. It is used by all viral vaccine manufacturers in India," an official told BusinessToday.In.

5. Statements from Bharat Biotech as well as the centre have attempted to clear the air on the issue, stating FBS is not present in the final Covaxin product being injected. Bharat Biotech states Covaxin is "highly purified" and that "the usage of new born calf serum was transparently documented" in multiple publications over the past year.