The long battle against the pandemic is coming to a head.

Over the weekend, both the Center for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration gave Pfizer their official approval for an emergency deployment of their COVID-19 vaccine. Over the next several days, doses will be shipped out all over the United States, with priority recipients being those on the front line of the pandemic: healthcare workers and first responders.

The very first COVID-19 vaccine for the United States was administered this morning in New York City during a livestreamed event hosted by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. The first recipient of the vaccine was Sandra Lindsay, an ICU nurse employed at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Queens.

“I feel hopeful today, relieved,” Lindsay said after receiving her first shot. “I feel the healing is coming. I hope this marks the beginning of the end of the very painful time in our history.”

Cuomo was jubilant about the vaccines, naming them “the weapon that will end the war.”

“The cavalry is on the way,” Dr. Dave Chokshi, the New York City health commissioner.

UPS and FedEx are in the process of delivering the large quantities of doses to medical facilities all over the country. “Everything’s on time, no disruptions, and we’re very, very excited,” said Wes Wheeler, president of UPS Healthcare.

While the vaccination process is off to a good start, it will take time and concentrated effort to carry out in full. The majority of US citizens likely won’t be receiving doses until midway into 2021, complicated by heavy skepticism of the vaccine in some communities.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar reassured Americans during an interview on NBC’s TODAY, saying that the vaccine had “gone through every aspect of the FDA process with integrity and transparent data.”