The reclusive country has been locked in a fierce battle against an unprecedented wave of coronavirus infections since declaring a state of emergency and imposing a nationwide lockdown this month, raising concerns about shortages of vaccines, medical supplies and food shortages.
Official media indicated that the authorities are intensifying examination and disinfection operations across the country, after announcing this week a “stable” trend in the outbreak, including indications of a receding fever wave and a relatively low number of deaths.
And the official Korean Central News Agency, citing data from the Headquarters for Epidemiology in Emergencies, said that about 100,460 people showed symptoms of fever as of Thursday evening, compared to about 400,000 about 10 days ago.
The total number of people infected with fever since April has risen to 3,270,850 out of the country’s 25 million people, and the number of deaths has risen to 69, after a death was recorded the previous day.
In another briefing, the agency said anti-virus offices had collected samples from several sources to check whether the COVID-19 infection had spread to other areas.
“Emergency sectors to combat the epidemic at all levels are prioritizing testing samples collected from rivers and lakes, while disinfecting hundreds of thousands of cubic meters of sewage and thousands of tons of garbage every day and examining and analyzing samples,” the agency said.
North Korea said last year that it had developed its own PCR test kits, but it never reports how many people have tested positive for the disease, and instead reports how many show symptoms of fever.
Experts said these numbers may be understated, making it difficult to assess the situation.
A video clip released by the agency showed a group of officials wearing protective clothing and medical masks, moving boxes with signs saying: “Sample holder” or “Bacterial and virus testing device.”
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