SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – North Korea reported 21 new deaths and 174,440 people with symptoms of fever on Saturday as the country struggles to slow the spread of COVID-19 among its unvaccinated population.
The new deaths, which took place on Friday, increased the total to 27 deaths and 524,440 diseases amid the rapid spread of fever since late April. North Korea said 243,630 people had recovered and 280,810 remained in quarantine. State media did not specify how many of the fever and deaths were confirmed as COVID-19 infections.
The country imposed what it set as maximum preventive measures on Thursday after confirming its first cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic. Prior to that, for more than two years, he had held on to the widely dubious claim of a perfect record to protect against the virus, which has spread to almost anywhere in the world.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a ruling Politburo meeting on Saturday described the outbreak as a historic “major upheaval” and called for unity between the government and the people to stabilize the outbreak as soon as possible.
During the meeting, officials focused on ways to rapidly expand medical supplies that the country has released from its emergency reserves, the official Korean Central News Agency of Pyongyang said. In a report presented to the Politburo, the Northern Emergency Service blamed most of the deaths for “mistakes such as overdoing drugs deprived of scientific medical treatment.”
Kim, who said he was donating some of his private drugs to help the anti-virus campaign, expressed optimism that the country could bring the epidemic under control, saying most broadcasts take place in communities isolated from each other and do not spread from region to region.
He called on officials to learn from the successful pandemic response of other nations and set an example in China, the North’s main ally.
However, China is facing pressure to change its so-called “zero COVID” strategy, which has stalled major cities as it struggles to slow the fast-growing version of the omicron.
North Korea on Thursday imposed steps to restrict the movement of people and supplies between cities and counties, but descriptions of the measures in state media show that people are not locked in their homes.
Experts say the failure to control the spread of COVID-19 could have devastating consequences for North Korea, given the country’s poor health system and its 26 million people are largely unvaccinated.
Tests of virus samples collected on Sunday from an unspecified number of people with fever in the country’s capital, Pyongyang, have confirmed that they are infected with the omicron variant, state media reported. So far, the country has officially confirmed a death related to omicron infection.
In the absence of vaccines, antiviral pills, intensive care units and other basic health tools to fight the virus, North Korea’s pandemic response will be mostly to isolate people with symptoms in certain shelters, experts say.
North Korea does not have the technological and other resources to impose extreme blockades like China, which has shut down entire cities and locked residents in their homes, nor could it afford to do so at the risk of unleashing further shock to the fragile economy, Hong Min said. , analyst at the Korean Institute for National Unification in Seoul.
Even when calling for tougher preventive measures to slow the spread of COVID-19, Kim also stressed that the country’s economic goals must be met, which probably means that huge groups will continue to gather in agricultural, industrial and construction sectors. objects.
North Korea’s claim of a perfect record in preserving the virus for 2 1/2 years was widely questioned. But its extremely strict border closures, large-scale quarantines and propaganda, which have emphasized anti-virus control as a matter of “national existence”, may have prevented a huge epidemic so far.
Experts are confused on whether the North’s announcement of the outbreak indicates readiness for external assistance.
The country has avoided millions of doses offered by the UN-backed COVAX distribution program, possibly due to concerns about international monitoring requirements for these vaccines.
North Korea is more tolerant of civilian suffering than most other nations, and some experts say the country may be willing to accept a certain level of death to gain immunity through infection instead of receiving vaccines and other outside help.
South Korea’s new Conservative government, led by inaugurating President Yun Suk Yel on Tuesday, has offered to send vaccines and other medical supplies to North Korea, but Seoul officials say the North has not asked for help so far. Relations between rival rivals have deteriorated since 2019 following the derailment of nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang.
Kim’s call for his staff to learn from China’s experience shows that the North may soon ask China for drugs and testing equipment related to COVID-19, said analyst Cheong Seong-Chang of the South Korean Sejong Institute.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijiang said on Friday that Beijing was ready to offer assistance to North Korea, but said there was no information about such a request.
North Korea’s virus spread could be accelerated after tens of thousands of civilians and soldiers gathered for a massive military parade in Pyongyang on April 25, where Kim took center stage and showed off the most powerful missiles in his military nuclear program.
After maintaining one of the world’s toughest border closures for two years to protect its poor health care system, North Korea reopened rail freight traffic with China in January, apparently to ease tensions over its economy. China has confirmed the closure of the route last month as it fights COVID-19 outbreaks in border areas.
Hours after the North acknowledged its first COVID-19 infections on Thursday, the South Korean military found that the North had fired three ballistic missiles at what appeared to be a provocative show of force.
Kim is stepping up arms demonstrations in 2022, including the country’s first intercontinental ballistic missile in nearly five years. Experts say Kim’s edge aims to force Washington to accept the idea of the North as a nuclear power and to negotiate the removal of crippling US-led sanctions and other concessions from a stronger position.
Officials in South Korea and the United States also say the North is likely to hold its first nuclear test in 2017, which they say could happen this month.
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