The three approved vaccines do not contain animal-derived ingredients:

There are lots of questions flying around about the new COVID 19 vaccines and if they are suitable for Vegans and Vegetarians. We have researched into this, and both the NHS and the MHRA (who regulate the approval of medicines in the UK) both confirm that all three vaccines that have been approved, to date, do not contain any animal-derived ingredients[i][ii][iii]

However, as we have stated before on our website, all pharmaceutical medicines will require some animal testing during development to test for safety and efficacy and get regulatory approval. Pharmaceutical companies do not do this lightly and endeavour to keep the numbers to the absolute minimum.

Should you have the vaccine?

This must be a personal choice for you alone. However, what is worth bearing in mind is that if you do contract COVID, and especially if you are hospitalised, you will be given an array of drugs to help you, many of which may contain animal-derived ingredients. We recommend you seriously look into the risks vs benefits and make your own decision based on facts. You might find this video of an in-depth discussion around this topic useful to help you make an informed decision. https://plantbasednews.org/lifestyle/is-covid-vaccine-vegan/

How does it work?

The two different types of vaccines work to achieve the same thing, i.e. getting your immune system to make antibodies and mount an immune response to a trigger (known as an antigen). They both get cells in your body to make a bit of harmless protein that is the same or similar to a protein spike found on the outside shell of a COVID virus.

Your body raises antibodies that recognise this and will lock onto this protein and other parts of your immune system remove it from the body. If at a later date you encounter COVID, then you should already have the antibodies to the protein on the outer virus shell, and this means that your immune system gets working faster to fight the virus.

References:

[i] https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/948335/Information_for_UK_recipients_COVID-19_Vaccine_AstraZeneca.pdf  

[ii] https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/955901/Temporary_Authorisation_Patient_Information_BNT162_6_0_UK_clean.pdf 

[iii] https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/955848/Information_for_UK_recipients_Moderna_26012021.pdf 

[iv] https://vk.ovg.ox.ac.uk/vk/covid-19-vaccines 

[v] https://www.newscientist.com/article/2261805-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-pfizer-biontech-covid-19-vaccine/ 

[vi] https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/mrna.html