Kim Jong-un’s dictatorship also confirmed one death, while the accumulated infections already exceed three and a half million people in just 18 days< /h2>
North Korea claims the Covid-19 outbreak is under control, while state media reports a drop in the number of cases for the seventh day in a row and health workers “step up” detection tests and treatments.
This Saturday the North Korean authorities reported less than 100,000 cases of coronavirus, despite the fact that this Sunday the figure hasincreased, it is the eighth consecutive day below the 200,000 infections. Since the start of the first outbreak of COVID-19 on May 12, North Korea, with a population of nearly 25 million people, has registered more than 3.54 million infections, of which 3 .36 has recovered from the disease.
On May 15, dictator Kim Jong Un declared a state of emergency and mobilized troops to try to contain the spread of what the State qualifies as “fever”.Two weeks later, the North Korean leader has made a positive assessment of the evolution of the pandemic situation, since days ago he reported up to 300,000 cases in just one day.
p class=”paragraph”>While the official death toll remains at 70, North Korea is grappling with an unprecedented wave of COVID-19 since declaring a state of emergency and imposing a nationwide lockdown this month , raising concerns about thelack of vaccines, medical supplies, and food shortages.
In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, top, attends a meeting on anti-virus strategies in Pyongyang, North Korea (Korea Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP, File)
Since the admission of an Omicron outbreak on May 12, the country has only been announcing the number of patients with daily febrile symptoms, but not those with COVID-19, apparently due to shortage of test kitsto confirm coronavirus cases in large numbers. The daily fever count peaked at over 392,000 on May 15 and has been trending downward ever since.
Japan’s Kyodo news agency, citing a source Unidentified in Beijing, said movement restrictions were lifted in the North Korean capital on Sunday, while South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said lockdowns had been “partially eased.” But a spokesman for South Korea’s Unification Ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs, said he could not confirm the report, as the North’s state media had not announced the decision.
FILE PHOTO. Volunteers carry out disinfection during an anti-virus campaign in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this image released by the North’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on March 4, 2020. KCNA via REUTERS
“The Political Bureau discussed the issue of effectively and quickly coordinating and enforcing anti-epidemic regulations and guidelines given the current stable anti-epidemic situation,” he added. Many outside experts say North Korea is underestimating its death rate to avoid any political damage to Kim at home.
North Korea this past month reported its first COVID outbreak, with a total of 70 deaths. A national lockdown has been ordered in the face of the “explosive” of the virus.
They say North Korea should have suffered far more deaths because its 26 million people are largely unvaccinated against COVID-19 and lack the capacity to treat patients with critical conditions. Others suspect that North Korea may have exaggerated its previous cases of fever to try to strengthen internal control of its population.
Yang Un-chul, analyst of the Sejong Institute in South Korea, told the Associated Press news agency that the North’s recently lifted restrictions must be dealing a heavy blow to its coal, agricultural and other labor-intensive industrial sectors. b>
But he said those difficulties are not likely to reach a level that threatens Kim’s grip on power, as the COVID-19 outbreak and tighter restrictions have given the opportunity to increase their control over the population.