SEOUL: North Korea on Saturday reportedmore than 200,000 new patients suffering from fever for a fifth consecutive day, as it fought its first confirmed coronavirus outbreak.
The ongoing COVID wave, declared last week, has fuelledconcerns over a lack of vaccines, inadequate medicalinfrastructure and a potential food crisis in the country of 25million, which has refused outside help and kept its bordersshut.
At least 219,030 people newly showed fever symptoms as ofFriday evening, taking the total number of such cases to2,460,640, the official KCNA news agency reported, citing datafrom the state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters. Thedeath toll rose by one to 66.
KCNA did not say how many people had tested positive for thevirus.
In a separate report, KCNA said North Korean leader Kim JongUn had held a meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party’s powerfulpolitburo early on Saturday to check the COVID situation andresponses made over the nine days since the outbreak emerged.
Kim praised “positive progress” in the anti-virus campaignbut called for consistently adjusting and optimising policy to“seize the chance of winning the battle against the epidemic.”
KCNA did not elaborate on where Kim saw progress, but statemedia has lauded “good results” in the country’s COVID fight,citing sustained farming and production in key industrialsectors and construction projects.
With no national vaccination campaign and limited testingcapability, the daily data released by state media could beunderreported, and it may be difficult to assess the scale ofthe COVID wave, experts have said.
The U.N. human rights agency has warned of “devastating”consequences for North Korea’s 25 million people, while theWorld Health Organization has said unchecked spread could leadto emergence of deadlier new variants.
