The North Korean authorities reported on Tuesday (17) the detection of more than 232,000 cases of covid-19 in the country and, for the third day in a row, refused assistance from neighboring South Korea, which indicates that the regime Pyongyang seems willing to seek help only from China or Russia.
The North Korean epidemiological prevention center also released the record of six deaths resulting from infection with the new coronavirus. In all, since the confirmation of the presence of the pathogen in the country, a week ago, a total of 62 victims of covid-19 have been recorded.
According to official information, there are already 1.71 million people who have contracted “fevers” since the beginning of the spread of the new coronavirus (the term North Korea uses for suspected cases, due to the low testing capacity).
The North Korean regime also reported that 1.02 million people have recovered from the infection and that 691,170 are currently under treatment.
In North Korea, the government did not purchase vaccines and even refused a donation of nearly 5 million doses offered last year. Therefore, there is no national immunization plan against covid-19.
So far, 7.1% of the local population has been infected by the new coronavirus in less than a month. The incidence is highest in the capital, Pyonyang, and in cities with higher economic activity, such as Nampo (west), Kaesong (south) and Rason (northeast).
The majority of deaths recorded so far, about 40%, are people over 60 years old. Already a third of the victims were under 20.
The World Health Organization (WHO) expressed concern about the lack of vaccines and the fact that a large part of the population suffers from previous health problems. The UN agency asked the North Korean regime to provide detailed information about the situation. It also offered the Asian country “technical support and the provision of tests, diagnostics, essential medicines and vaccines”, according to the organization’s director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
According to state news agency KNCA, North Korea’s dictator Kim Jong Un presided over a meeting with the government’s top brass, which analyzed inadequate responses from “party officials and state bodies” in the country.
Kim himself spoke of “immaturity” and “negative attitudes” at the beginning of the health crisis in North Korea. “Time is vital,” assured the leader, who also defended a new maximum emergency system in the country.
According to KCNA, 3,000 military personnel were mobilized to ensure the distribution of medicines and 1.4 million public health officials, as well as medical students and professors.
The government of South Korea indicated that, for the third day in a row, the neighbor ignored an attempt to schedule a meeting and send unconditional aid. Several media outlets reported that North Korean planes were supplied with supplies at airports in China, while the Russian and North Korean regimes agreed to send aid.
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