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TOKYO (Reuters) – North Korea on Thursday announced its first outbreak of coronavirus since the pandemic nearly two years ago, with state media calling it “the most serious national emergency.”
The discovery of the BA.2 omicron sub-variant of the coronavirus in the capital Pyongyang is a worrying development for a country that has a fragile health care system, a looming humanitarian crisis and remains one of two nations in the world that have not administered any coronavirus vaccines.
Experts warn that North Korea risks becoming the epicenter of new options due to the population’s low immunity to the virus.
With the opening of the world, North Korea is one of two countries without vaccines
To date, North Korea has said there have been no positive cases, although many experts have questioned the truth. However, the communication suggests that the circumstances surrounding this outbreak call for public recognition.
North Korean state media reported that a group of people from an unknown organization in Pyongyang were tested on Sunday and showed symptoms of fever. Subsequently, the results showed that they were infected with subvariant BA.2.
North Korea was already in a severe pandemic blockade, banning tourists, diplomats, aid workers and most land trade with China. On Thursday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un tightened border controls by ordering the blockade of all cities and counties. State media called the epidemic “the most serious national emergency.”
NK Sews, a Seoul-based website focused on North Korean surveillance, said this week that people in Pyongyang had been ordered to be blocked following warnings of a “national problem”. People said at the end that there was panic shopping and a shortage of supplies as residents feared a prolonged blockade in the capital.
In recent weeks, North Korean state media have repeatedly warned of greater precautionary measures than COVID due to outbreaks on the border with China, urging the public to “step up anti-epidemic work in preparation for a prolonged emergency.”
The Politburo blamed the epidemic sector’s “carelessness, negligence, irresponsibility and incompetence” for the outbreak, according to state media. Although Kim has occasionally been exposed to the failures and problems of his regime, such as recognizing the country’s “food crisis,” it is important for North Korea to acknowledge shortcomings in its antivirus measures.
On Thursday, Kim warned of any further omissions and called for greater vigilance on its border with China. He said the North Korean public had already suffered a “prolonged emergency anti-virus fight” and would overcome the crisis.
“What is more dangerous to us than the virus is unscientific fear, lack of trust and will,” Kim said, according to state media.
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Go Myong-hyun, a senior fellow at the Asan Institute for Political Studies in Seoul, said this was probably not the first case of coronavirus in North Korea, but may have provided an opportunity for Kim to highlight her efforts to control the virus – especially by refers to reports already circulating on the Pyongyang blockade.
“I think the main reason the regime officially recognizes the existence of covid in the country is that it happened in Pyongyang, and the regime knows the world will find out sooner or later,” Go said. “It’s probably more about demonstrating control than calling for help.”
Pyongyang has repeatedly rejected proposals for millions of doses of UN-backed global vaccination efforts. Strict blocking of North Korea’s border, which allows only a minimal level of trade with China, has exacerbated the country’s food crisis, according to the United Nations.
Key Park, a global health expert at Harvard Medical School who has worked on health projects in North Korea, called on the international community to help North Korea respond to the violation, including proposals for mRNA vaccines and therapies.
“They will have to reconsider additional measures to protect their populations, including national vaccination programs,” Park said. “It is in everyone’s interest to help North Korea respond to the breakthrough. Nobody wants another option. ”
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