Fifteen new deaths have been reported from “flu” in North Korea, three days after the country’s first COVID-19 case was officially announced, the official KCNA news agency reported Sunday.
Read more: China wants to eradicate COVID with disinfectant
Read more: North Korea: 21 new deaths due to “fever” among COVID epidemic
Read more: Experts say the spread of COVID-19 in North Korea may have been linked to a military parade
According to him, a total of 42 people have died, while 820,620 flu cases have been reported, of which at least 324,550 are under medical treatment.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Saturday acknowledged that a “deadly disease” had caused a “major uprising” in the country.
“All provinces, cities and districts across the country have been completely closed and workplaces, manufacturing centers and residences have been closed,” KCNA said.
Although it has urgently implemented its isolation system to prevent the spread of the disease among the 25 million people who have not been vaccinated, the country is reporting numerous new cases every day.
Pyongyang announced on Thursday that people had tested positive for Omicron’s BA.2 sub variant and its first death. Kim Jong Un immediately ordered control measures.
North Korea, one of the first countries in the world to close its borders in January 2020 after the virus appeared in neighboring China, has long boasted of its ability to keep the virus in the bay. It has not previously reported any confirmed cases of COVID-19 to the WHO.
Experts say the country’s health system – one of the worst in the world – has failed and lacks essential medicines and equipment.
Pyongyang rejects vaccine offers from WHO, China and Russia In recent days, Beijing and Seoul have provided vaccines and assistance.
KCNA did not say whether the newly registered cases and deaths were tested in favor of Govt-19, but experts believe the country could not carry out a large-scale test campaign.
The United States and South Korea have recently said that Pyongyang is preparing for another nuclear test soon.
According to researchers, in order to divert people’s attention from the epidemic situation, Mr. Kim can speed up her plan.
