North Korea reported six deaths apparently linked to Covid and 232,880 new potential cases, a week after confirming the detection of the virus for the first time in the Asian country.
North Korea today reported another six deaths apparently linked to Covid and 232,880 new potential cases a week after confirming the detection of the virus for the first time, while leader Kim Jong-un criticized negligence in the initial response to the health emergency.
The total number of deaths amounts to 62, reported the KCNA news agency, which spoke of 1.71 million cases of “fever” (North Korea barely has the capacity to test) since the virus began to spread, according to the regime. , at the end of April, with 1.02 million people recovered and some 691,170 still under treatment.
The situation in the impoverished country is worrying because of how contagious the detected omicron subvariant has proven to be and because the regime has not put out a single vaccine, rejected the donation of almost five million doses in 2021 and does not seem to intend to still design a national inoculation plan.
The data, in fact, reflect a very rapid transmission throughout the country (almost 7% of the population seems to have been infected in less than a month), with special incidence in the capital, Pyongyang, and in municipalities with high economic activity and logistics links such as Nampo (west), Kaesong (south) or Rason (northeast).
The latest data indicates that almost 40% of deaths correspond to people over 60 years of age, although in turn almost a third of the deceased are under 20 years of age.
KCNA also reported today that the politburo held another meeting on Tuesday chaired by Kim Jong-un discussing how “top Party officials and state organs have failed to properly handle matters in the current health crisis due to the lack of experience”.
Kim spoke of “immaturity”, “negative attitudes” or “laziness” in “the early phase” of the health emergency, in which, he said, “time is of the essence”.
In turn, he praised the new state “maximum emergency” system at the epidemic level, which according to KCNA, has mobilized 3,000 soldiers to ensure the supply of medicines or 1.4 million public health officials, as well as students and teachers. of the medical sector.
Meanwhile, the South Korean government said today that the regime ignored, for the third day, its communication to meet and discuss sending unconditional aid that Seoul has promised.
Various media have reported North Korean planes loading supplies at Chinese airports, while Moscow and Pyongyang discussed directly sending aid yesterday.
Many experts believe, however, that North Korea, which has been completely closed since 2020, will not accept the shipment of vaccines because it implies receiving external personnel to advise on cold chains.