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The first doses of Pfizer's long-awaited coronavirus vaccine were distributed in the U.S. on Monday. 

The state of play: Vaccines will first go to frontline health care workers followed by older and vulnerable populations. The distribution of Pfizer vaccine marks the beginning of a possible end of the coronavirus pandemic, and may soon be followed by a rollout of vaccines from Moderna and AstraZeneca. 

The Pfizer vaccine. Photo: Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images

Sandra Lindsay, a nurse, is inoculated with the COVID-19 vaccine on Dec. 14 in Queens, New York City. Photo: Mark Lennihan - Pool/Getty Images

Beth Sum, RN, receives a COVID-19 on Monday in Louisville, Kentucky. Photo: Jon Cherry/Getty Images)

Beth Sum, RN, receives a COVID-19 vaccine on Monday in Louisville, Kentucky. Photo: Jon Cherry/Getty Images

Gov. Andy Beshear watches as Dr. Jason Smith receives a COVID-19 vaccination on Monday in Louisville, Kentucky. Photo: Jon Cherry/Getty Images

In photos: First coronavirus vaccines administered in the U.S.

Vaccine distribution will first prioritize frontline health care workers.

Politics

Pfizer

Health Care

Coronavirus

The first doses of Pfizer&#x27;s long-awaited coronavirus vaccine were distributed in the U.S. on Monday. The state of play: Vaccines will first go to frontline health care workers followed by older and vulnerable populations. The distribution of Pfizer vaccine marks the beginning of a possible end of the coronavirus pandemic, and may soon be followed by a rollout of vaccines from Moderna and AstraZeneca.

President Biden has made the COVID-19 crisis and a post-Trump return to national unity and traditional democratic ideals his top priorities. From vaccinations to stimulus to schools, Biden is seeking bipartisan compromise while showing a willingness to use executive authority and bare Democratic majorities in the U.S. House and Senate to implement his policies. Republican leaders are navigating deep party divisions over if and how to move beyond former President Trump.

Politics & Policy

The U.S. faces a range of health care flashpoints — unaffordable drugs, opioids, vaping — as we debate whether to adopt universal care. For now, the Affordable Care Act is the law of the land, but Republicans want to issue it a final death blow.

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In photos: First coronavirus vaccines administered in the U.S.

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