Moscow has begun distributing the Sputnik V Covid-19 shot via 70 clinics, marking Russia's first mass vaccination against the disease, the city's coronavirus task force said.

Reuters reported that the task force said the Russian-made vaccine would first be made available to doctors and other medical workers, teachers and social workers because they ran the highest risk of exposure to the disease.

Moscow, the epicentre of Russia's coronavirus outbreak, registered 7,993 new cases overnight, up from 6,868 a day before and well above the daily tallies of around 700 seen in early September.

“Over the first five hours, 5,000 people signed up for the jab — teachers, doctors, social workers, those who are today risking their health and lives the most,” Mayor Sergei Sobyanin wrote on his personal website.