MOSCOW, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced Friday that the Russian capital has launched its mass immunization program against the coronavirus.

Volunteer Ilya Dubrovin, 36, reacts after receiving an injection of Russia's new coronavirus vaccine in a post-registration trials at a clinic in Moscow on September 10, 2020. (Photo: AFP)

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.

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