A version of this story appeared in the December 2 edition of CNN’s Coronavirus: Fact vs. Fiction newsletter. Sign up here to receive the need-to-know headlines every weekday.

CNN  — 

The United Kingdom has become the first Western nation to approve a Covid-19 vaccine, a landmark moment in the pandemic that paves the way for the first doses to be rolled out across the country next week.

UK regulators granted emergency authorization for a vaccine made by US pharma giant Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech. The companies published data last month that showed it was 95% effective with no serious safety concerns.

The UK health secretary said 800,000 doses would be available by next week. Elderly people in care homes, along with health workers and other vulnerable people, will be top of the priority list. Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla called the UK approval “a historic moment in the fight against Covid-19.”

The news of the UK authorization might cause a bit of a stir in the US. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn was summoned into the White House yesterday after President Donald Trump privately demanded to know why the agency hasn’t yet approved the Pfizer vaccine.

Hahn told ABC that he believes the agency will come up with a decision relatively quickly after its December 10 committee meeting. The first shipments of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine will be delivered on December 15, according to an Operation Warp Speed document obtained by CNN.

An advisory panel to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that health care and long-term care workers get inoculated first as vaccines are rolled out.

YOU ASKED. WE ANSWERED

Q: If someone already had Covid-19, should they still take the vaccine?

A: “So far, we can’t say for sure,” CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta said.

The vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and from Moderna have shown high effectiveness in preventing people from getting sick with Covid-19. But the data hasn’t shown whether the vaccines can prevent people from carrying the virus and infecting others.

Send your questions here. Are you a health care worker fighting Covid-19? Message us on WhatsApp about the challenges you’re facing: +1 347-322-0415.

WHAT’S IMPORTANT TODAY

CDC will decrease coronavirus quarantine time

The CDC will soon issue new guidelines reducing the number of days people should quarantine following exposure to a Covid-19 positive individual from 14 days to 7-10 days, two senior administration officials told CNN.

The new guidelines will recommend that close contacts of those infected with the coronavirus can end their quarantine after seven days if they receive a negative test, or 10 days without getting tested.

China ready to deliver millions of vaccines to countries globally

From cold-chain warehouses to temperature-controlled compartments in cargo jets, China is gearing up to send hundreds of millions of doses of coronavirus vaccines to countries that have conducted last-stage trials for its leading candidates. Chinese leaders have also promised a growing list of developing countries priority access to its successful vaccines.

The country currently has five candidates from four companies which have reached phase 3 clinical trials, the last and most important step of testing before regulatory approval is sought. David Culver and Nectar Gan report.

A young family faces financial ruin trying to protect their baby from Covid-19

Jessica Lusk and Dylan Garcia are under what they call “unbearable stress.” Every second they worry that in trying to keep their youngest child safe from the pandemic, they might lose their home and hurt their other children.

Their 3-year-old, Brandi, has an extremely rare metabolic disorder that requires round-the-clock care and makes her vulnerable to any kind of virus. Garcia and Lusk haven’t been working because they’re worried about introducing the coronavirus into their home.

Jessica Lusk and Dylan Garcia stand with their children Brandi (3), Isabella (5), and Elijah (6).

ON OUR RADAR

TOP TIPS

Despite the drudgery that was 2020, employers still want to show their appreciation to their workers. But let’s be honest: Scheduling a video meeting and calling it a “Holiday Party” isn’t going to cut it.

From Secret Santa and all-day celebrations and virtual mixology events, here are some of the ways companies are trying to get creative during this unusual holiday season.

TODAY’S PODCAST

“Once the vaccine, which is essentially just genetic code, is administered through a shot in the arm, our own cells in the body start making the spike protein over and over again.” – Dr. Sanjay Gupta

Two of the new Covid-19 vaccines applying for FDA approval rely on a novel approach that uses mRNA to turn the human body into an internal vaccine factory. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks to mRNA researcher Dr. Drew Weissman about the groundbreaking science behind these new vaccines and what it might mean for the future of medicine. Listen Now.