Coronavirus: North Korea tops 1.2 million ‘fever’ cases with over 500,000 in quarantine
- State media did not specify how many of the cases were confirmed as Covid-19. Experts say the country likely lacks the necessary testing supplies and equipment
- Eight new deaths on Monday brought the toll from North Korea’s outbreak to 50. Most of the country’s 26 million people are thought to be unvaccinated
State media did not specify how many of the fever cases and deaths were confirmed as Covid-19 cases. Experts say North Korea likely lacks testing supplies and equipment to confirm coronavirus infections in large numbers and is mostly relying on isolating people with symptoms at shelters.
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North Korea admits to ‘first’ Covid-19 outbreak, goes into nationwide lockdown
Failing to slow the virus could have dire consequences for North Korea, considering its broken healthcare system and that its 26 million people are believed to be unvaccinated, with malnourishment and other conditions of poverty.
Kim during a ruling party Politburo meeting on Sunday criticised government and health officials over what he portrayed as a botched pandemic response, saying state medicine supplies aren’t being supplied to pharmacies in time because of their “irresponsible work attitude” and lack of organisation, the North’s official Korean Central News Agency said.
The Politburo had issued an emergency order to immediately release and quickly distribute state medicine reserves and for pharmacies to switch over to 24-hour shifts, but Kim said such steps weren’t being properly implemented. Kim ordered that the medical units of his military to get involved in stabilising the supply of medicine in Pyongyang, KCNA said.
Kim and Politburo members after the meeting made on-site inspections of pharmacies in a district in Pyongyang, where Kim lamented that most of the shops were in poor condition and lacked storage spaces and criticised some pharmacists for not wearing proper white gowns.