MOSCOW: Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said on Thursday that he has tested positive for coronavirus.
Mishustin was made the Prime Minister in January this year and he has been actively involved in the country's battle against the Covid-19 pandemic. Russian TV showed Mishustin telling President Vladimir Putin of his diagnosis, the BBC reported.
In the video call, Mishustin could be heard saying, "I have just learned that the test on the coronavirus I took was positive."
During the call, Mishustin suggested that First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov should take his place, to which Putin agreed. Mishustin will now go into self-isolation, the BBC reported.
The news came on a day when Russia reported 7,099 new cases, taking the country's Covid-19 tally past the 1 lakh mark to 106,498. Russia has reported 1,073 Covid-19 related deaths so far.