Twenty-one more deaths have been reported from “flu” in North Korea, two days after the first case of Govt-19 was officially announced, state media KCNA reported on Saturday.
A total of 174,440 new flu cases were reported on Friday, leading to 21 deaths, the official agency said, noting how many people died from the corona virus.
“The total number of patients in the country is 524,440, of which 234,630 have fully recovered (…) and the number of deaths to date is 27,” KCNA reported.
According to many experts, these figures underestimate the extent of the virus’ spread, and the country does not have the capability to test its population massively.
On Thursday, the isolated country reported the first cases of the corona virus, and after the people tested positive for the sub-Omigran PA2 variant, announced a switch to a regime that includes “maximum emergency prevention of infections” – control measures. He also announced his first death.
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.
The first deaths were attributed to “negligence, ignorance of scientific therapies, including overdose,” the official said.
President Kim Jong-un made his first appearance on television wearing a mask after chairing an emergency Politburo meeting on the epidemic on Thursday. He then ordered control measures to prevent the spread of the virus.
“This is the most important challenge and the most important task facing our party to quickly reverse this health crisis situation,” he said.
At a meeting on Saturday, the North Korean leader promised to “deliver emergency medicine quickly” and said he would like to introduce “treatments for patients, including special constitutions,” KCNA reported.
Kim Jong-un said he was “certain” that “this malicious epidemic could be defeated in a very short period of time”, the report added.
But experts warn that the country’s health system – one of the worst in the world – is in disarray and lacks essential medicines and equipment.
He said he would accept the Chinese model of fighting the corona virus. Kim announced.
We must learn from the successful experiences and achievements of the Communist Party of China and its people in preventing the virus, ”he said.
China, the world’s largest economy that maintains a zero Govt policy, is battling numerous eruptions of Omigron despite tight locks and massive trials across the country.
Another threatening challenge for North Korea: Pyongyang has rejected vaccination offers from the WHO, China and Russia because no one in the 25 million population has been vaccinated against the corona virus.
