Supply Chain

If you believe the hype, a COVID-19 vaccine is just weeks away. Experts say widespread vaccination could help bring the deadly pandemic to its knees, so let's hope a safe, effective vaccine emerges from clinical trials. But don't count on getting your shots just yet.

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.

The U.S. just reached a dark milestone: 10 million reported coronavirus cases. But there is also big news for a potential coronavirus vaccine. On November 9, Pfizer and German drugmaker BioNTech announced that data from their ongoing coronavirus vaccine trial shows the vaccine is more than 90% effective in preventing COVID-19, per the New York Times.

The duo's vaccine, known as BNT162b2, proved to be 90% effective after being tested on nearly 44,000 participants in its Phase III study.  This is a significant milestone in the fight against a virus that has infected more than 50 million people around the globe, resulting in over 1.2 million deaths. FOX Business takes a look at the key data points investors and consumers should know, as well as reactions from business and political leaders.

Prashant Yadav of the Center for Global Development and Tinglong Dai of Johns Hopkins University, join “Squawk on the Street” to discuss coronavirus vaccine development and distribution.

Not even a year after SARS-CoV-2 was first identified, several coronavirus vaccines are now in the final stages of testing. Some people worry we’re moving too fast; others argue that “Operation Warp Speed” is not moving nearly fast enough. There’s a lot at stake — from public health, to trust in science, to the economy — and failure is not an option.

Kenya is among countries that will be required to improve cold chain networks to meet the storage demands of a Covid-19 vaccine. Experts say refrigeration requirements have cast doubt on the ability to access the vaccine to more than three billion people. As a result, the poor who are among the hardest hit by Covid-19 are likely to be the last to be reached by the vaccine.

During the coronavirus pandemic, the world has become reliant on personal protective equipment, or PPE. Most of this essential gear, from masks to gowns to goggles, comes from China -- and experts in the U.S. say this foreign dependence is problematic. Bur for now, the country where the virus originated is producing much of what's needed to fight it off. Special correspondent Patrick Fok reports.

States have been working hard on developing COVID-19 vaccine distribution plans. By the time the vaccine becomes available, about 1 in 4 people in the country may have recovered from COVID-19 and therefore be partially immune, and others who need the vaccine most may avoid it. The distribution plans should therefore address both possible immunity and vaccine reluctance as demand-side issues.

After shelves were emptied of goods like toilet paper, canned food and hand sanitizer at the start of the pandemic, Chicago-area grocery stores and suppliers are stocking up to avert shortages as coronavirus cases rise in Illinois. On Thursday, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced a 10 p.m. curfew on all nonessential city businesses and a prohibition on indoor service at bars without food licenses. Gov. J.B. Pritzker also announced stricter rules for some counties, including DuPage, Kane, Will and Kankakee.