The first COVID-19 deaths have been reported in North Korea. Initial reports were of one death from the coronavirus. According to the latest information, there are already six victims.
- North Korea reports the first deaths from coronavirus
- The local media reports about an epidemic caused by the Omikron variant in the country’s capital – Pyongyang. A strict blockade of the country was ordered
- According to official data from the World Health Organization, there have been no cases of the coronavirus in North Korea so far
- The country also did not vaccinate against COVID-19 or receive assistance from other countries in this regard
- More information can be found on the Onet homepage
North Korean authorities have announced the country’s first case of coronavirus. Moments later, the official KCNA news agency released the first statistics on the spread of the disease, officially known as “fever”.
According to the agency, the fever of unidentified origin has been spreading in North Korea since late April, and 187 800 people are currently being treated in isolation.
About 350 people had symptoms of fever, of which 162 thous. 200 have been cured so far, although KCNA has not reported how many of them tested positive for the coronavirus.
Data from Thursday said about 18 thousand. new “fever cases” and six deaths, although officially only one of the victims tested positive for BA.2 Variantu Omikron.
KCNA said leader Kim Jong Un convened a party Politburo meeting on Thursday and instructed officials to lock down all cities and counties across the country and strengthen measures to contain the pandemic.
Officially, North Korea has not reported any COVID-19 data to the World Health Organization since the start of the pandemic. On the coronavirus website, the number of infections and deaths is still zero.
Masked dictator
North Korean TV aired on Thursday footage of Kim wearing a face mask for the first time.
The North Korean leader visited the epidemic prevention headquarters, where he stated that the spreading “fever” meant there was a “hot spot” in the national epidemic prevention system.
“The most important challenge and task facing our party is to immediately reverse the crisis in the public health system,” said Kim, quoted by KCNA.
The administration of South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeola, who took office on Tuesday, has expressed its readiness to offer humanitarian aid to the North, including vaccines against the coronavirus.
North Korea blocked its borders with China and Our Country in early 2020 to prevent the spread of the virus, which was first detected in late 2019 in the Chinese city of Wuhan. The third country with which North Korea borders is South Korea, but it is separated by a buffer zone.
The country, with more than 25 million inhabitants, has not yet introduced a vaccination program against COVID-19, and has rejected offers of assistance in this matter, both in the case of AstraZeneca and Chinese Sinovac.
Health experts express concern that its ineffective healthcare system can cope with the wave of infections.
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Information about the first coronavirus case came as it is believed that North Korea is preparing for a seventh nuclear test or the launch of an ICBM.