Ex-Soviet Kazakhstan said it will begin producing Russia's coronavirus vaccine later this month, becoming the latest country to do so as a global inoculation race heats up.

Russia last month said its Sputnik V drug was 95 per cent effective and would be cheaper and easier to store than some alternatives, according to AFP.

In a statement, Kazakhstan's presidency said the country would begin producing Sputnik V from December 22, with plans to begin inoculating vulnerable groups in early 2021.