Staff and wire reports A committee of leading U.S. vaccine scientists recommended Thursday that the Food and Drug Administration authorize the first COVID-19 vaccine for Americans. The endorsement paves the way for a final decision by the FDA and mass vaccinations to begin within days in thousands of front-line heath care workers and nursing homes residents. The Inland Empire is included in a region of five California counties expected to receive nearly 60,000 doses, according to state officials. After an eight-hour public hearing, the independent Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee voted 17 to 4 with 1 abstention to recommend the vaccine made by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech called BNT162b2.