Package leaflet: Information for the recipient 'COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine BNT62b2 concentrate for solution for injections' by BioNTech, last revised 01/2021, with time 2.31 written in black ink

Every person who received a COVID-19 vaccine dose receives a leaflet from the manufacturer about the vaccine, including possible side effects. The four page leaflet contains information of how to store the vaccine and what the packaging looks like and the active ingredients in the vaccine. During the first year of the vaccine roll out, people waited for 15 minutes after their dose to ensure they did not have a reaction to it.

The UK COVID-19 vaccination programme started on 8 December 2020 with Matron May Parsons, administering then 90 year old Margaret Keenan’s first dose at University Coventry Hospital.

At the start of the roll out, only one vaccine was available – created by Pfizer in collaboration with BioNTech. In less than a year, the vaccine was developed, tested and approved. The United Kingdom through Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) on 2 December 2020 the was the first country in the world to approve its use. At this time this leaflet was given out, the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was not recommended for children under 16 years or for people who were pregnant, breast-feeding or planning a pregnancy. Doses were recommended to be 21 days apart, although this advice later changed.

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 an infection from COVID-19. It is the first vaccine using mRNA technology approved for human use.