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North Korea reported this Friday that six people have died and 350,000 have received care for a febrile illness that spread “explosively” in the country, according to state media, a day after it first recognized an outbreak of coronavirus. COVID-19.
At the moment it is unknown true magnitudebut a coronavirus outbreak could be devastating in a country with a unvaccinated population. North Korea, which may lack diagnostic kits and other types of medical equipment, noted that has not yet discovered the cause of the fever.
The Korean Central News Agency (CNCA) reported that of the more than 350,000 people who have been treated for fever since end of april, 162 thousand have recovered. Only on Thursday other 18 thousand people with fever symptomshe added pointing out that 187 thousand 800 are in quarantine to receive treatment.
One of the six deceased had contracted the variant omicron of the coronavirus, the agency said, though it is not immediately clear how many of those sick had COVID-19.
North Korea has imposed a nationwide lockdown. on Thursday, after admitting to his first outbreak of COVID-19 during the pandemic. According to those reports, diagnostic tests carried out on an unspecified number of people were positive for the omicron variant.
State television showed Kim Jong Unwearing a mask, entering what he described as the place from which the national outbreak responsewhich seemed to be the emblematic Hotel Koryo de Pyongyang. Later, took off the mask y smoked a cigarette while talking to officials.
The ACNC said that Kim criticized the authorities for not foreseeing “a vulnerable point in the epidemic prevention system”. The leader further stated that the outbreak was centered on the capitalinsisted that all work and residential units should be isolated from each other and noted that residents will have all the comforts during confinement.
“It is the most important challenge and the most paramount task facing our party to reverse the immediate health crisis situation at an early date, restore the stability of epidemic prevention and protect health and the well-being of our people,” the president was quoted as saying by the agency.
The spread of the virus could have been accelerated by the massive April 25 military parade in Pyongyangwhere the president was the center of attention and exhibited the most powerful missiles of his military nuclear program before tens of thousands of people.
Cheong Seong-Chang, an analyst at South Korea’s Sejong Institute, said the speed of the feverish spread suggests the crisis could last Several months and possibly extend until 2023causing severe damage in a country poorly equipped to deal with the situation.
Some experts say that North Korea’s initial announcement shows a willingness to receive outside help.
According to the latest figures from the World Health Organization, North Korea reported that between 2020 and March 22 of this year it carried out diagnostic tests on 64 thousand 207 peoplea low number that could indicate that you do not have enough COVID-19 tests for your 26 million inhabitants.
Also no vaccinations y antiviral pills to treat the disease, and may have too few intensive care units to deal with severe cases, which could raise mortality compared to other nations, according to experts.
Pyongyang refused vaccinations offered by the COVAX programsponsored by the United Nations and which included doses of AstraZeneca and from china Sinovacpossibly because it required international monitors.
The office of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who took office on Tuesday, said his government is willing to provide vaccinations and other medical supplies and that he hopes to talk to the North about specific plans, although he acknowledged that Pyongyang did not ask Seoul for help.
Boo Seung-chan, a spokesman for the South Korean Unification Ministry, which manages inter-Korean affairs, said there is no estimate at this time of the number of vaccines that could be offered to his neighbor.
The relationship between the two nations has deteriorated in the last three years, coinciding with the stagnation of the nuclear negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang, and with an increase in north korean weapons tests.
Hours after confirming the outbreak, North Korea launched three short-range ballistic missiles into the seaaccording to South Korea and Japan, in what was possibly a display of force, It was the 16th round of missiles fired by the nation so far this year.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the United States supports international aid efforts but does not plan to share its vaccine supply with Pyongyang.
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