Plastic vaccine syringe, with cap, used to administer the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine given to Margaret Keenan, the first individual vaccinated in the UK's mass vaccination campaign on 8th December 2020

The COVID-19 vaccine created by Pfizer in collaboration with BioNTech was developed, tested and approved in less than a year. It works by introducing into the body a messenger RNA (mRNA) sequence that contains the genetic instructions for the vaccinated person’s own cells to produce the vaccine antigens and generate an immune response – priming the body for a COVID-19 infection. It was the first vaccine using mRNA technology to be approved for human use. Vaccines are widely credited for their role in reducing the spread of the virus, diminishing the severity of illness and lowering incidences of death caused by COVID‑19. The vaccine was approved in the UK by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) on 2nd December 2020, becoming the first COVID-19 vaccine approved for general use. This vial contained the first dose to be used in the UK’s vaccine programme and was given to Margaret Keenan at the University Hospital in Coventry on 8th December 2020.