It may not feel it for a while yet, but these first vaccinations mark the turning point in the pandemic.
Day by day, the number of protected people will climb, and COVID-19 will slowly - but surely - find it harder to spread.
That light at the end of the tunnel will shine ever brighter; that prospect of a return to normal life will come ever closer.
But we are in a dark place right now.
Lockdown has only brought a temporary respite. Cases are still high and will surge further in January - the price for the more relaxed rules on socialising over Christmas.
How many of those people will die depends largely on how quickly the vaccine can be rolled out, particularly to the over-80s who account for around half of all deaths.
So, this is a straight race against the virus.
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It won't be helped by the production problems at Pfizer's plant in Belgium. The hoped-for 10 million doses by the end of the year have dwindled to something closer to four million.
More will follow in the first few months of 2021. It will be enough for 20 million people in all, which is still not enough to protect all who are most at risk.
The wild card is the Oxford vaccine. It may be approved by the regulatory authorities within days, and there are 100 million doses on pre-order.
But publication in The Lancet medical journal of full clinical trial data doesn't give any greater clarity on its effectiveness.
The standard dose protects 62% of people. By lowering the dose, that jumps to 90%, but it was only in a relatively small group of volunteers.
The vaccine has also yet to be tested in large numbers of people over 55 - those who need protection the most.
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But even if the Oxford vaccine is given to the young and middle-aged, there are signs that it reduces transmission of the virus.
That would indirectly protect the vulnerable and bring a swifter end to the pandemic.
A more normal life might be possible from the spring, the government's chief scientist has said.
After a long and awful year that really doesn't seem so far away.
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