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They are the size of large kitchen refrigerators, consume a lot of electricity and keep things very, very cold. LifeBridge Health ordered three of these ultra-low temperature freezers about four weeks ago in anticipation of approvals for the first COVID-19 vaccines. That includes one from the drug maker Pfizer, a frontrunner in the race to market, which reported promising data Monday on its high level of effectiveness.

Temperatures are dropping, nights are growing longer, the holidays are nearing, and the science is clear: The pandemic is far from over. A long, dark winter awaits. The number of new coronavirus cases in the United States each day has ballooned from less than 40,000 in early September to more than 100,000 in early November. The U.S. now confirms more cases in a single day than China has reported since the pandemic began.

Not even the coronavirus can put a chill on Christmas. Santa and his elves are working feverishly to get all the gifts out on time for the holiday. Memories of empty shelves at the beginning of the outbreak are for the most part faded. Analysts predict that once again the Grinch will not be able to steal Christmas. "I don't see a lot of the strain that people anticipated," said Sheldon Jacobson, a data analyst with the University of Illinois. "Like I said, that a lot of the gloom and doom that people anticipated is just not happening."

When Covid-19 vaccines receive approval from health authorities, they will need to be moved from where they’re produced to where they will be administered to recipients. Considering that most vaccines need to be refrigerated during storage and transport, it is expected that heavy demands will be made of all aspects of the cold chain. Two of the leading vaccine candidates — from Pfizer and Moderna — have to be kept well below freezing, which requires specialized equipment and handling practices. The Pfizer vaccine, for example, has to be stored below -70 Celsius, meaning it has to be packed in dry ice.

While COVID-19, the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, has brought much of the world to a standstill, it hasn’t stopped research at NC State. Faculty and the staff at the university have pivoted from their customary research to study COVID-19, using their expertise in battling the pandemic. Their research has covered a large scope, from how the novel coronavirus can be effectively managed and analyzed to how it affects society’s food safety and supply chains.