MADRID — Spain officials say health workers and residents in elder care homes will be the first group vaccinated when potential doses arrive.

Health Minister Salvador Illa says Spain has signed agreements with five vaccine producers and hopes to do so with two more. Once the vaccines are approved by the European Medicines Agency, Spain hopes to receive 140 million doses.

Given most vaccines will involve two doses, he says this should be enough to vaccinate some 80 million people and cover any possible problems with some vaccines.

Spain, with a population of 47 million, intends to give vaccines for free and provide the excess vaccines to countries outside the European Union that need them, Illa says.

The government hopes to vaccinate some 2.5 million people in the first stage between January and March and most of the population who need vaccines covered by mid-year. The vaccinations will be given in Spain’s 13,000 public health centers.

Spain has reported more than 1.5 million cases and more than 55,000 confirmed deaths.