In March 2020, vaccine testing began. Vaccine development, like drug development, requires multiple phases of clinical trials before approval for public use. The timeline for vaccine development is typically measured in years.
Please read the following article for more information and visit this link for an updated list of candidate vaccines from the World Health Organization. The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations is working with global health authorities to develop a vaccine as soon as possible and more detailed information on the current Research and Development can be found in this article. The current goal is to have a vaccine ready by early 2021.
Presently the best way to prevent an infection is still to maintain physical distancing, reduce in person gatherings, and by isolating people who are infected and contagious until they are no longer able to transmit the disease.