North Korea's Kim Jong Un says Covid 'great turmoil' as 21 new deaths reported
India Today
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the spread of Covid-19 had put the country in "great turmoil" and called for an all-out battle to overcome the epidemic. As many as 21 new deaths have been reported in the country.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said on Saturday that the spread of Covid-19 had put the country in "great turmoil" and called for an all-out battle to overcome the epidemic, while 21 new deaths were reported for a day earlier among people with fevers.
North Korea made an unprecedented admission of its first Covid outbreak this week, after claiming no infections for more than two years since the start of the pandemic, but there was no sign a rigorous testing or treatment campaign was under way.
Given North Korea's limited testing capabilities, the numbers released probably represent a small fraction of total infections, which could lead to thousands of deaths in one of only two countries without a Covid vaccination campaign, according to experts.
The country's ruling Workers' Party met for an emergency meeting and heard reports of about 280,810 people being treated and 27 overall deaths since a fever of unidentified origins was reported starting in late April, KCNA news agency said.
"The spread of the malignant epidemic is a great turmoil to fall on our country since the founding," state news agency KCNA quoted Kim as telling the meeting.
"But if we don't lose focus in implementing epidemic policy and maintain strong organisational power and control based on single-minded unity of the party and the people and strengthen our epidemic battle, we can more than overcome the crisis."
State media did not say whether the new deaths were due to COVID. KCNA said on Friday that one death had been confirmed to be due to the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
