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The COVID cavalry is coming. And we’re about to see how strong it is. The U.K. has already given Pfizer and partner BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine a green light, and the first doses were given today. Margaret Keenan was the first person to receive a COVID vaccine.
A critical meeting among Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisers on December 10 could lead to emergency authorization in the United States in short order, and certain high-risk Americans could begin receiving COVID vaccines within weeks.

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More health care and Big Pharma coverage from Fortune:
- A depleted workforce and no end in sight: An inside look at America’s ailing health care industry
- Getting to the COVID-19 finish line: A drama in three acts
- The science behind the leading COVID vaccines will lead to faster manufacturing
- How China’s COVID-19 vaccines could fill the gaps left by Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca
- Who gets first dibs on a COVID-19 vaccine? The U.K.’s historic rollout reveals who gets precedence