Care homes have reportedly been told to get permission from families to vaccinate residents.
A spate of successful trials, showing vaccinations could be up to 95 percent effective, has led to increased optimism they could be ready by Christmas.
And with the elderly and vulnerable to be amongst the first to be given the jabs, care homes across the UK are preparing to inoculate residents - with the sector having been severely hit during the pandemic.
The UK has placed orders for 100 million doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine - enough to vaccinate most of the population - with rollout expected in the coming weeks if the jab is approved.
It also has orders for 40 million doses of the jab from Pfizer and BioNTech, which has been shown to be 95 percent effective.
Another jab from Moderna, of which the UK has five million doses on order, is 95 percent effective, according to trial data.
The Chapel House care home in Neston, the Wirral, has reportedly been told by GPs to ask for permission from residents' families for them to get vaccinated.
Manager Jackie Jones told ITV News : "The families get really excited and I think the family's expectation of 'as soon as the vaccine is in place then we can open up and have visits' and we so desperately want that for our families but we've got to make sure the evidence says it's safe."
However, she added: "We'd like to know which vaccination it is, we'd like to know the side effects of the vaccination."
Meanwhile, only one resident at The Hamiltons Care Home in Atherton, Wigan, was spared from contracting Covid-19 in October.
Deputy Manager Carol Fisher said it was "awful" seeing residents sick with the virus and going home knowing "you might not see them again".
She said: "We need that vaccine, we need something because it just spreads like wildfire."
Meanwhile Boris Johnson has been warned by experts the planned UK-wide relaxation of restrictions could lead to a third wave of the pandemic.
The UK Government and devolved administrations have agreed a temporary easing of measures which will allow three households to mix in a bubble from December 23 to 27.
Social distancing will be relaxed within the bubbles, giving people the chance to hug friends and family for the first time in months.
Ministers are urging people to "think carefully", particularly in regards to the elderly and vulnerable.
Both sets of grandparents can stay over during the Christmas period, as long as the three household rule is retained.
Care home residents under 65 can stay with family from one other household - subject to certain conditions - but over 65s can't leave their care homes.
It comes as the latest figures show the virus has claimed the lives of another 608 people in the UK - the highest since May - taking the total to 55,838.
There were also a further 11,299 cases reported yesterday, down by almost half from a week ago.
A total of 1,538,794 have now tested positive in the UK since the pandemic began.
