Spain will send special convoys containing the COVID-19 vaccine to areas cut off by Storm Filomena on Sunday, the interior minister said.
The government is finding ways to ensure that weekly shipping of the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine across the country can be distributed to regional health authorities through police-escorted convoys.
Transport Minister Jose Luis Abalos said the convoys would also distribute food supplies to those in need.
Storm Filomena has brought the country the heaviest snowfall in decades, killing four people.
Temperatures are expected to drop to about -10 degrees Celsius (14 F) in the coming days, with the prospect of snow turning to ice and damaged trees toppling.
“The danger is not over yet,” said Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Markaska. “A week of extreme cold is coming and that will turn all the snow on the ground into ice, adding to the risk,” he said. “The storm will bring a cold snap that could push the temperature to record levels,” he added.
Hundreds were stranded
About 20,000 kilometers (12,000 miles) of roads were affected by the storm in central Spain. Transit authorities called on people to stay indoors and avoid non-essential travel.
Rescue services have also helped more than 1,500 people stranded in their vehicles.
About 100 employees and shoppers slept for two nights in a shopping center in the city of Majahaonda, north of Madrid, after being trapped by the storm on Friday.
Officials say a man and woman drowned in a car after a river burst close to Malaga in the south, while two people who were homeless in Madrid and Calatayud in the east froze to death.
The State Meteorological Agency reported that 20-30 centimeters of snow fell in Madrid on Saturday, the highest amount since 1971.
mvb / aw (AP, Reuters)