March 19, 2020 / By Emily R. Siegel
Finding a vaccine for coronavirus has become a public health priority, and pharmaceutical companies and researchers across the country are hard at work on different contenders.
The process of creating a viable vaccine, however, is long and arduous, even before its manufacturer seeks regulatory approval from the Food and Drug Administration, which is required before the vaccine can be deployed to the general population. 
After development of the vaccine and preclinical testing, there are three phases of human testing before it is submitted to the FDA for approval. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, said the earliest a coronavirus vaccine would be deployable would be a year to a year and a half from now.
While many companies are working on vaccines, below are two potential vaccines and one “passive vaccine” that experts tell NBC News are closest to being tested, approved and available to the U.S. public.