Am fine, get tested for COVID daily: A coughing Vladimir Putin

"Don`t worry, everything is fine. They test me practically on a daily basis not just for COVID-19 but all kinds of other infections, so it`s all good," said Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Image credit: Twitter

Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin, seen coughing during a televised government meeting, reassured officials on Monday (October 11) that he was fine and said he was being tested for COVID-19 virtually every day.

"Don`t worry, everything is fine. They test me practically on a daily basis not just for COVID-19 but all kinds of other infections, so it`s all good," the Kremlin leader replied when Valentina Matviyenko, speaker of the upper house of parliament, expressed concern about his health.

Putin, who turned 69 last week, was seen sitting alone at his screen for the online meeting. He blamed the cough on the cool air temperature and took the opportunity to urge his colleagues to get fully vaccinated.

Russia`s daily COVID-19 death toll is hovering near an all-time high. Putin was forced to self-isolate last month after members of his entourage tested positive for the coronavirus, but the Kremlin said at the time he was "absolutely healthy".

Russia recorded 29,409 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, up from 28,647 the day before, bringing the cumulative total to 7,804,774 on Monday (October 11).