The American Airlines cargo cold storage facility at the Philadelphia International Airport in Pennsylvania is prepared to serve as a key step in the process of transporting the COVID-19 vaccine, once it is approved.

The temperature-controlled, 25,000-square-foot facility is designated to store pharmaceuticals only. The idea is to keep specialized containers for vaccines that need to be kept cold and preserved.

The storage room uses battery-powered, refrigerated shipping containers that can be digitally set to a certain temperature. If the temperature inside changes by even a quarter of a degree, an alarm goes off.

The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine needs to be kept at -4, and the Pfizer vaccine at -100.

However, the facility is meant to be only a temporary storage unit for the vaccines. American Airlines says it will serve as an important pitstop to get the vaccines from the manufacturers to those receiving it.

American Airlines says it has a plan in place so that as soon as the Food and Drug Administration gives approval, it can begin shipping the vaccines within 24 hours.