In preparation for the Covid-19 vaccine, the National Guard is running daily drills on what will likely be a very time sensitive distribution process.

The Pfizer Vaccine is expected to be the first manufacturer to get the "okay" from the FDA.

Starting off, larger quantities of this vaccine will be shipped directly to 10 already-selected Ohio hospitals.  But, as the vaccine supply increases, smaller shipments will be needed for places like doctors offices and pharmacies, which is exactly where the National Guard and their redistribution training will come into play.

"When we go to ship it we only have two minutes from when it leaves this freezer door to when it gets put onto dry ice to be fully packed," explained one representative of the Ohio National Guard while speaking with Governor Mike DeWine at the Ohio Department of Health's Receipt, Store, and Stage warehouse in Central Ohio.

With just two minutes, the National Guard will remove the Pfizer vaccine from ultracold storage, each box will be taken to a table where the virals will be counted and broken down into smaller quantities. The box will then be handed off to another team member, to be placed in a cold shipping container that will be lined with bubble wrap and packed in dry ice. That package will then be sealed and moved out for delivery. All packages will be delivered to providers within six hours.

"Very impressive what we see here today," said DeWine while touring the facility.

"Practice is a lot, just build that muscle memory and make people comfortable with the process," explained the Ohio National Guard representative.

The process leaves little time to spare, with ultracold temperatures a key element to vaccine storage. But it's one, the governor is confident Ohio can handle.

"I'm sure in this distribution around the state, all the moving parts, there will be some glitches that always occur but I have great confidence in the National Guard, in what they are doing here," said DeWine.

Another vaccine looking for FDA approval is Moderna. Once approved, this one will be shipped directly to these smaller providers, so this process would not be needed, according to DeWine's office.