Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has been diagnosed with coronavirus, he said during a video meeting with President Vladimir Putin broadcast on the state-run Rossiya 24 television channel Thursday.
Mishustin, who was appointed prime minister in January, has played a leading role in Russia’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Mishustin, 54, is now self-isolating and has temporarily stepped back from his work as prime minister. Putin signed a decree to appoint First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov as acting prime minister.
During the televised meeting, Putin said that what happened to Mishustin could happen to anyone. Putin then asked Mishustin to call him from the hospital.
Mishustin’s diagnosis comes as Russia’s number of coronavirus infections surpassed 100,000 in a record one-day surge.
