Photos show how countries around the world are preparing to distribute COVID-19 vaccines as the pandemic rages with ferocity

woman covid 19 vaccine.JPG — Woman holds vials labelled "COVID-19 Coronavirus Vaccine" over dry ice in this illustration taken, December 5, 2020.
REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

The world is preparing to move past the global COVID-19 pandemic that has killed more than 1.5 million people as vaccines begin to roll out to the public.
The UK is expected to distribute Pfizer's vaccine for the novel coronavirus this week after British authorities approved it for emergency use on December 2.
Photos show how different countries are preparing to receive mass shipments of the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech and other global pharmaceutical heavyweights.
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The world is gearing up for the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, in an effort to overcome the global outbreak that has killed more than 1.5 million people worldwide.

Since the start of the pandemic, more than 67 million people around the world have caught the virus, according to the Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 tracker.

The UK is expected to distribute Pfizer's vaccine for the novel coronavirus this week after British authorities approved it for emergency use on December 2. The United States is not too far behind as some Americans could start receiving the same vaccine by the end of this week.

—Charlotte Gallagher (@CM_Gallagher) December 6, 2020

As Business Insider reported, effective preparation methods are crucial to ensure the seamless distribution of the Pfizer vaccine in particular, which needs to be held at minus-94 degrees Fahrenheit while in transit.

Photos show how different countries are preparing to receive mass shipments of the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech and other global pharmaceutical heavyweights.

The United Kingdom is the first western country to authorize Pfizer and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine. Frontline workers and older people will be on top of the list to receive it.

covidvaccine 1 — A pharmacy technician (L) from Croydon Health Services takes possession of the first batch of COVID-19 vaccinations at Croydon University Hospital in south London on December 5, 2020.
GARETH FULLER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Source: Business Insider, Sky News

Croydon University hospital in South London was one of the first sites to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines.

covid19 vaccine.JPG — A pharmacy technician from Croydon Health Services prepares a delivery of the first batch of COVID-19 vaccinations at Croydon.
Gareth Fuller/Pool via REUTERS

Sources: Sky News, ITN

In addition to hospitals, the vaccine will be provided at unique locations including sports arenas. According to local news, nearly 1,000 people will get vaccinated on a daily basis at the Manchester Tennis and Football Centre in England.

covid 19 vaccine — A delivery van enters the Manchester Tennis and Football Centre, situated beside the Etihad Stadium on December 04, 2020 in Manchester, England. The site is being converted into a COVID-19 vaccination centre.
Anthony Devlin/Getty Images

Source: Associated Press, Manchester Evening News

In the US, American Airlines is preparing to assist with COVID-19 distribution once greenlit by health officials.

covid airline.JPG — An American Airlines cargo plane is unloaded at Philadelphia International Airport in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., December 4, 2020. American Airlines Cargo is the largest facility for pharmaceutical products on the East Coast, and could soon be used to store coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines.
REUTERS/Rachel Wisniewski

Source: Yahoo Finance

Cooling units are utilized to help store the Pfizer vaccine at the proper temperature of minus-94 degrees Fahrenheit. "The containers themselves that are loaded onto the aircraft contain the cooling units. And again, other than the dry ice that is being used by someone like Pfizer," American Airlines Chairman and CEO Doug Parker told Yahoo Finance.

airline vaccine.JPG — A worker drives a forklift at the American Airlines' cold storage facility, the largest facility for pharmaceutical products on the East Coast, that could soon be used to store coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines at Philadelphia International Airport in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., December 4, 2020.
REUTERS/Rachel Wisniewski

Source: Yahoo Finance, Business Insider

German officials say vaccine distribution should begin there at the beginning of January.

germany vaccine center — A worker steps down from a mobile elevating platform while while preparing the Treptow Arena events hall as a vaccine center for mass inoculations against COVID-19 during the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic on December 07, 2020 in Berlin, Germany.
Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Source: Reuters

However, the authorization has yet to be approved by European Union authorities. Once that's done, experts say nearly 9 million people will receive the vaccine during the first wave.

covid vaccine 2 — Christian Schütze, service technician, stands at the final inspection of medicine refrigerators with constant temperature distribution for vaccination centres at the company Tritec - Gesellschaft für Labortechnik und Umweltsimulation.
Julian Stratenschulte/picture alliance via Getty Images

Source: Associated Press, The Local Germany

News reports in Germany say the country is gearing up to create 60 vaccination sites including at supermarkets, airports, and skating rinks.

vaccine center — December 5, 2020, Wilhelmshaven: THW workers assemble partition walls made of chipboard panels during the construction of a vaccination centre in an empty supermarket of about 750 square metres.
Lennart Stock/picture alliance via Getty Images

Source: The Local Germany

Belgium Prime Minister Alexander de Croo said vaccine distribution will begin in early January. The country bought five different vaccines, including from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson.