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

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.

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.

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.