First doses of Pfizer coronavirus vaccines arrive in Spain

The first doses of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine arrived in a distribution centre in Guadalajara at 7.30am this morning, after spending the night under armed guard at the Guardia Civil Headquarters in Lerma (Burgos).

Sources in the security forces confirmed that the first truckload of doses crossed the border from France on Christmas Day and were then transported under police escort to the pharmaceutical company's distribution centre first thing this morning, from where they will be distributed to other parts of Spain.

The first doses will be administered to patients - an elderly resident and a health care worker at the Los Olmos old people's home in Guadalajara - at 8.30am on Sunday.

This is Spain's first delivery of the Pfizer vaccine and one which will be followed up every Monday, with further deliveries to be divided out among the country's autonomous communities, most of which have not revealed their storage locations.

For obvious security reasons, the vaccine storage details are being held a closely guarded secret as authorities endeavour to avoid any criminal incidents.

Neither the Interior Ministry nor the health authorities have released any details about either the warehousing or the transport of the thousands of doses of the vaccine, which will arrive in Spain under armed guard provided by the Guardia Civil and the National Police, with regional cooperation from the Ertzaintza in the Basque Country, the Mossos d'Esquadra in Catalonia and the Policía Foral in Navarra.

In light of the delicate storage requirements of the vaccine, the pharmaceutical company has rolled out comprehensive and exhaustive physical plans and technological logistics to ensure efficient transport, warehousing and continuous temperature control of the vaccines.

A spokesperson for Pfizer confirmed that packaging and storage innovations had been implemented to ensure the total safety of the vaccine in all the different regions where immunisation will be taking place, and that they had designed specific temperature-controlled containers that use dry ice to keep conditions at the required -70°C for up to 10 days (without opening).