WASHINGTON, D.C. (KXLG) – As the world continues to deal with the Coronavirus pandemic, pharmaceutical companies are working at unprecedented speed to come up with a vaccine to help stop the virus. According to the World Health Organization, immunizations prevent 2-3 million deaths each year from disease, including diphtheria, pertussis, influenza, and the measles.

South Dakota Senator Mike Rounds says the talk around Washington is that a Coronavirus vaccine could be released before the end of the year. Rounds says if that happens there is a distribution system ready to go.

Rounds says that the vaccine development is happening extremely fast.

Vaccines are currently being manufactured, even before testing is done.

Rounds says once a vaccine is approved, those on the front lines of fighting the virus would get the vaccine first, including health care workers and first responders.

According to the World Health Organization, (WHO) there are currently over 169 COVID-19 vaccine candidates under development with 26 of them in the human trial phase.