One of Putin's closest aides, spokesman Dmitry Peskov, has been hospitalized for the coronavirus

• Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman has been hospitalized for the coronavirus, state-run news agency RIA Novosti reported Tuesday.
• Dmitry Peskov is the fifth senior government official in Russia to get the virus, and the second from within Putin's inner circle.
• Russia has the second-fastest-growing coronavirus outbreak in the world. The US is the fastest.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, has been hospitalized for the coronavirus, becoming the fifth senior government official in the country to get the virus.

State-run news agency RIA Novosti broke the news on Tuesday. There are no further details on Peskov's condition.

Peskov is the second official in Putin's administration to get the virus, after Putin's chief of staff Sergei Kiriyenko tested positive in mid-April, according to The Moscow Times.

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin also tested positive at the end of April, in addition to Russia's ministers for Construction and Culture. Mishustin has helped lead the country's coronavirus response.

While Russia recorded relatively few coronavirus cases in the beginning of the outbreak, the situation has gotten much worse in recent weeks.

Last week, it was reported that Russia was experiencing the second-fastest-growing outbreak in the world. The US is the first.

Since last week, the country has recorded more than 10,000 new cases every day, according to Worldometer. At least 2,116 people have died.

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