Spain: Storm blankets country in snow, authorities ensure vaccine supply

Spain is going through its worst snowstorm in recent history. According to reports by AP, the rescue teams cleared 500 roads and rescued over 1,500 people who were stranded in vehicles due to blocked roads. Authorities are urging people to stay at home in order to brace them for the severe drop in temperatures in the coming days.

Current situation in Spain 

The national AEMET weather agency forecasted that Madrid and various other parts of the country would have more than 24 hours of continuous snowfall. The agency said up to 20 centimetres could accumulate  in large parts of Spain. On January 9, Saturday, the military was deployed to help those people who were stuck in the storm. The country was on high alert on Friday as record levels of snow disrupted road, rail, sea and air traffic. 

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(The Cibeles monument is covered with snow in downtown Madrid, Spain, Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021. A large part of central Spain including the capital of Madrid are slowly clearing snow after the country's worst snowstorm in recent memory. Image Credits: AP)

(An unusual and persistent blizzard has blanketed large parts of Spain with snow, freezing traffic and leaving thousands trapped in cars or in train stations and airports that had suspended all services as the snow kept falling on Saturday. Image Credits: AP)

Army emergency brigades are working on clearing access to Madrid’s main fresh food distribution center. They are also clearing ways for hospitals as Spain sees a surge in coronavirus cases. Also, the Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said that the government will make sure that steps are taken to ensure the shipment of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine can be distributed to regional health authorities through convoys.

Read: Storm ‘Filomena’ Blankets Most Of Spain With Snow

Spain’s Health Minister Salvador Illa on January 7 said that the country will receive the first batch of the coronavirus vaccine developed by US-based pharmaceutical company Moderna in 7-10 days. The European Commission has authorised the Moderna vaccine, which became the second COVID vaccine approved by the bloc following the authorisation of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Now, Spain is expected to receive 16-17 million doses, which will inoculate nearly 8.5 million people.

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(Image Credits: AP)