'Facts Twisted, Misrepresented': Health Ministry Clarifies Use Of Newborn Calf Serum In COVAXIN

The Ministry of Health has clarified that the newborn calf serum is used only for preparation/ growth of vero cells and the calf serum is not an ingredient of the final vaccine product.

A beneficiary reacts while getting COVID-19 vaccine during a vaccination camp for students who travel abroad for education and jobs, at NMMCs Meenatai Thackeray Hospital, in Navi Mumbai, Wednesday, June 16, 2021. (PTI Photo)

New Delhi: Amid several social media posts making rounds alleging the use of newborn calf serum in the composition of the COVAXIN vaccine, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has clarified that the newborn Calf Serum is used only for preparation/ growth of vero cells.

In an official statement issued on Wednesday, the health ministry said that "facts have been twisted and misrepresented in these posts." 

Elaborating the composition of the Covid vaccine, the ministry said that different kinds of bovine and other animal serum are standard enrichment ingredient used globally for vero cell growth. Vero cells are used to establish cell lives which help in production of vaccines. This technique has been used for decades in Polio, Rabies, and 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. Thereafter, these vero cells are infected with corona virus for viral growth, the official statement read. 

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.

Centre assured that 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.

Earlier today in its regular health bulletin on Covid-19, the health ministry informed that as on 16th June, 2021, 8:00 AM the total vaccine doses administered so far are 26,19,72,014. Of these, 28,00,458 covid vaccine doses were administeredin last 24 hours.