05/18/2022 08:35 (act 05/18/2022 08:40)
The coronavirus has officially arrived in North Korea ©APA/AFP
In view of the seemingly massive spread of the corona virus in North Korea, according to state media, ruler Kim Jong Un criticized the authorities’ reaction as inadequate. He accused the isolated country’s authorities of inadequacy and indolence, as the official KCNA news agency reported on Wednesday, which also reported 232,880 new cases of “fever” and another six deaths in 24 hours.
At a meeting of the ruling Labor Party’s Politburo on Tuesday, Kim criticized that the “immaturity of the state’s ability to deal with the crisis” exacerbated the “complexity and difficulties” in fighting the pandemic. Just under a week after the first official confirmation of a corona outbreak in North Korea, the suspected number of cases has skyrocketed.
In total, authorities now count 1.72 million patients with fever symptoms and 62 deaths. However, there is no official confirmation whether patients are infected with the corona virus, in part because the country has very little testing capacity.
North Korea confirmed the corona outbreak last Thursday and declared a state of emergency. A subvariant of the highly contagious omicron pathogen has been discovered in the capital Pyongyang. Kim then ordered a nationwide lockdown. The country, which is almost completely isolated internationally, has yet to accept offers of help from abroad.
According to KCNA, state leadership is urging authorities to improve transport and testing of samples from fever patients and create additional quarantine facilities. In addition, efforts would be intensified to develop and produce drugs “effective in the treatment of malignant viral infection” and also to improve methods of diagnosis and treatment.
Kim has already mobilized the military to stabilize drug supplies and help authorities test and treat patients. The United Nations Human Rights Office recently warned that government measures to combat the coronavirus could have devastating consequences for the population of the impoverished country: restrictions can make it difficult to obtain basic necessities.