The word Covid-19 continues to cause fear in North Korea, and official propaganda is still struggling to use it regularly. Fifteen new deaths due to “fever” were recorded in the country, official KCNA news agency said on Sunday.
A total of 42 people have died, while 820,620 cases of fever have been reported, of which at least 324,550 are receiving medical treatment. North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un admitted on Saturday that a “malignant disease” had caused “major upheaval” in the country. KCNA reported that “all provinces, cities, and counties across the country have been put under full lockdown, and workplaces, manufacturing centers, and homes have been closed.”
An unvaccinated population
Despite urgently activating its quarantine system to stop the spread of the disease among its 25 million residents, none of whom are vaccinated, North Korea is reporting a large number of new cases. Pyongyang first announced Thursday that people had tested positive for Omicron subvariant BA.2 and their first fatality. Kim Jong-un immediately ordered containment measures.
North Korea, which became one of the first countries in the world to shut its borders in January 2020 after the virus emerged in neighboring China, has long boasted of its ability to keep the virus at bay. It had previously reported no confirmed cases of Covid-19 to the WHO.
A failing healthcare system
KCNA did not say whether the newly registered cases and deaths tested positive for Covid-19, but experts believe the country is unable to conduct a large-scale testing campaign. The country’s healthcare system, one of the worst in the world, is failing and is missing essential medicines and equipment.
The United States and South Korea recently claimed that Pyongyang is preparing to conduct another nuclear test imminently. For analysts, Kim Jong-un could speed up his program to divert popular attention from the epidemic situation.