The Covid-19 outbreak in North Korea is getting worse

GENEVA, KOMPAS.com – World Health Organization (WHO on Wednesday (1/6/2022) doubt the claim North Korea regarding the country’s progress in handling the epidemic Covid-19.

Michael Ryan, executive director of the WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme, said the situation in North Korea was getting worse, not better.

Read also: Amid the Worst Wave of Covid-19, North Korea Claims to Be Able to Overcome Drought

Previously, North Korea’s official news agency, KCNAreported 96,610 new “fever” cases and no new deaths.

It was the official daily tally for three consecutive days in which the number of cases was below 100,000, as reported by DW.

Pyongyang has also never directly confirmed the number of people who have tested positive for Covid-19, worrying experts about the true scale of the problem.

Read also: For the First Time, North Korea’s Fever Case Findings Below 100,000

Concern over North Korea’s unpreparedness

Ryan said the WHO was working with South Korea and China to get a true picture of the situation in North Korea.

WHO also continues to offer support through vaccines. So far, it remains unknown whether North Korea has vaccinated its 25 million population.

“We have offered assistance on several occasions. We have offered the vaccine on three separate occasions. We continue to offer,” said Ryan.

Read also: After finding 2.95 million cases of fever, North Korea now claims virus situation is under control

North Korea applies lockdown after reporting its first Covid-19 case in early May.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un lashed out at some top Labor Party officials for the “immature response” to the pandemic and slow drug deliveries.

In the days after confirming its first Covid-19 case, Pyongyang reported hundreds of thousands of fever cases.

The report raises concerns among public health experts about the country’s unpreparedness to tackle Covid-19.

Read also: “Innocent”, Kim Jong Un bury his mentor in the middle of the Covid-19 crisis in North Korea

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