What you need to know about a COVID-19 vaccine

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As the COVID-19 virus spreads across the world, the UK has become the first Western country to approve authorization of an emergency vaccine from the drugmaker Pfizer and BioNTech.

There are nearly a million doses ready in the UK, with 40 million on order. The rollout could start next week.

"Help is on the way," said British Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

Meanwhile, the U.S. state of Ohio could see its first batch of vaccines from pharmaceutical company Pfizer by December 15, with rival Moderna not far behind.

Medical workers and residents of long-term care facilities will be the first groups to receive COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S., according to an advisory group of outside medical experts that advises the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Turkey recently signed a deal with China’s Sinovac Biotech to purchase 50 million doses of its coronavirus vaccine.

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Governments from all around the world are offering free COVID-19 vaccines to their citizens.

The U.S. government has made substantial purchases from Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZenca and Novavax in excess of $7.76 billion.

Japan and Norway also promised to provide free vaccines to their citizens.

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A challenge that many countries will face is to ensure the quality of the vaccines during shipment.

Most COVID-19 vaccines are required to be maintained with a certain temperature.

Temperature fluctuation during shipment could void the effectiveness of the vaccines.

Drug suppliers are trying to tackle the problem by using dry ices and other temperature control methods to ensure the quality of the vaccines before arriving to their destinations.

Pfizer’s vaccine requires negative 70 degrees Celsius - nearly negative 100 degrees Fahrenheit that complicating distribution efforts.

AstraZeneca’s vaccine can be kept in a normal refrigerator for six months, meaning it could be easier and cheaper to work with.

Moderna’s vaccine can be stored at refrigerator temperature for a month.

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