Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced Friday that the Russian capital has launched its mass immunization program against the coronavirus.

Medical workers, teachers, and social services employees will be the first to receive the vaccines as they belong to the most vulnerable groups, and over 5,000 people have already signed up for the shot, Sobyanin said on his blog.

He said on Thursday that online vaccine registration in the city would open on Friday, when vaccination points would start working.

"We have selected specialized warehouses and prepared refrigerators and freezers for vaccine shipments. Vaccination points have medical refrigerators and their personnel have completed special training courses," he added.

The mayor said more shipments of vaccine doses are expected to arrive in the following weeks, making the vaccine available for a broader group of applicants.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday instructed the government to begin large-scale COVID-19 vaccinations next week as the number of produced vaccine doses were about to reach two million.

Russia has recorded 27,403 more COVID-19 infections over the past 24 hours, raising the national tally to 2,402,949.

Moscow, the country's worst-hit region, reported 6,868 new cases over the past day, bringing the city's total to 632,057. Enditem