Numerous dead
Hundreds of thousands of mysterious cases of fever and no test capacities: The corona virus has reached North Korea
STORY: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has described the spread of COVID-19 in his country as a “great disaster” and called for a determined fight against the epidemic. As the state news agency KCNA reported on Saturday, the country’s ruling Labor Party held an emergency meeting. North Korea reported 21 more deaths, but initially cited an unknown fever as the reason. It remains unclear whether the new deaths are due to infections with the coronavirus. According to the KCNA, a total of 27 people have died since the end of April, but the corona virus was only officially detected in one of the victims. According to KCNA, about 520,000 North Koreans have shown signs of fever since late April. At the moment, more than 280,000 people are receiving medical treatment for this reason. The development could lead to a crisis in the country of around 26 million people. Impoverished North Korea lacks medical resources. The outbreak could exacerbate the already difficult food situation and the precarious economic situation. North Korea has not yet asked for foreign aid. According to observers, the announcement of the outbreak could be an indication that the government will soon accept support.
Hundreds of thousands of cases of predominantly unexplained fevers are currently piling up in North Korea. The country also reports deaths. Tests showed that some of those affected had contracted the corona virus. But the virus hit the country completely unprepared.
The corona situation in North Korea has apparently continued to deteriorate drastically. After an alleged massive outbreak, the state news agency KCNA reported 21 more “fever”-related deaths on Saturday. In addition, 174,440 new cases of fever were registered on Friday. How many of the 21 deaths were due to the corona virus remained unclear.
According to experts, the internationally isolated country does not have sufficient capacity for mass testing. The North Korean authorities only announced that one of the six people who had died as of Friday had tested positive for Covid-19. So far, according to the KCNA, 524,440 people nationwide have been diagnosed with a fever, of which 234,630 have now fully recovered. The total number of deaths is 27.
According to North Korea expert Cheong Seong-chang of South Korea’s Sejong Institute, “it is not an exaggeration to consider all these cases of ‘fever’ as Covid-19 diseases” given North Korea’s lack of testing capacity. Actual contagion numbers could be higher than reported “fever” numbers because of many asymptomatic cases, Seong-chang said. The number of infections is growing “very quickly”.
Kim Jong-un: North Korea can overcome ‘malignant infectious disease’ in short term
North Korea confirmed the first corona outbreak since the pandemic began more than two years ago on Thursday. The highly contagious omicron variant BA.2 was detected in patients suffering from fever in the capital Pyongyang. Ruler Kim Jong Un ordered nationwide lockdowns.
At a Politburo meeting on Friday, Kim said the outbreak had sparked “great unrest” in the country, according to KCNA. However, he is confident that “we can overcome this malignant infectious disease within a very short time”. According to the KCNA, the meeting discussed the distribution of emergency drugs and treatment methods.
State media said the deaths so far were “due to negligence, including drug overdose, due to a lack of knowledge of scientific treatment methods.”
Rulers announce measures similar to those in China
Kim announced that Pyongyang will follow China’s model for the nationwide lockdowns. North Korea should learn from China’s experiences and fruitful successes. Beijing is pursuing a strict zero-Covid strategy, but is currently struggling with corona outbreaks in several provinces.
North Korea reports the first Covid case – these countries are (at least officially) still corona-free
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North Korea expert Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, interprets Kim’s rhetoric as a pessimistic signal to his own population. “His language gives the impression that the situation in North Korea will get worse before it gets better,” he told AFP. In his words, the ruler could “pave the way for international aid” – or “gather a population behind him who faces further victims”.
The already largely isolated communist North Korea sealed off its borders in early 2020 to protect itself from the pandemic. According to experts, the country has one of the worst health systems in the world.
North Korea is surrounded by countries that have all had or are having severe omicron outbreaks. Unlike in neighboring countries, however, none of North Korea’s 25 million inhabitants have been vaccinated against the corona virus.
North Korea has so far rejected offers of vaccines from China and the World Health Organization. In the meantime, both the government in Beijing and South Korea have again offered vaccines to the leadership in Pyongyang.