Putin's spokesman hospitalized after testing positive for coronavirus

Russian President Vladimir Putin's longtime spokesman and close adviser Dmitry Peskov has been hospitalized after testing positive for coronavirus, Russian news agencies report, following positive tests for several other senior officials, including Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.

Why it matters: The virus is now inside Putin's inner circle. The Russian president has been conducting meetings by video conference, though, and Peskov says he hasn't seen Putin in over a month. Russia's outbreak is among the world's fastest-growing, and is likely far more severe even than the official numbers suggest.