The fever is said to have exploded around the country since late April, with 187,800 people said to be in isolation and under treatment.
North Korea says six people who died of fever have died in the country, one of whom was diagnosed with a coronary infection. The state-run KCNA news agency reports this.
The country has not previously reported any deaths related to the coronavirus and only reported the first coronary infection yesterday.
– The fever, the cause of which has not been identified, has exploded nationwide since the end of April, KCNA says.
According to KCNA, there are currently 187,800 people in the country in isolation and in care. On May 12 alone, “fever” was detected in about 18,000 people around the country.
One in six deaths had a positive test result, and the infection represents a highly contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus, according to the news agency.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un imposed a coronary embargo on the entire country on Thursday. The country also declared the highest possible state of emergency to curb the virus.
Kim, who appeared on state television for the first time with a mask on her face, also called for tighter border controls and quarantine measures. According to him, this way the virus can be defeated in a very short time.
A large-scale epidemic could be fatal to the country’s health care system
According to experts, North Korea has not vaccinated any of its 25 million residents against the corona. The country has refused coronary vaccines provided to it by the World Health Organization, China and Russia.
North Korea’s crumbling health care system would be in trouble with the outbreak of the coronavirus epidemic, experts believe.
In neighboring China, many cities, including the economic capital Shanghai, have been in a tight interest rate lock for several weeks.
NK News, a South Korean news site in Seoul, said on Thursday that part of the North Korean capital Pyongyang had been closed for two days. According to the site, numerous sources in the city had also heard of panic purchases due to uncertainty about the duration of the corona blockade
In North Korea’s very highly coroner-vaccinated southern neighbor, virtually all corona restrictions have been lifted. Infections have started to decline sharply in South Korea since the March peak.
Expert: The background of the epidemic is probably the April military parade
Representative of the South Korean Sejong Institute Cheong Seong-Changin it is likely that a nationwide corona epidemic is linked to a huge military parade held in Pyongyang on April 25th.
“The organization of a large-scale military parade when Omikron is raging in neighboring China shows Pyongyang has been overconfident in their ability to fight and prevent the virus,” he told AFP.
He estimates that significant chaos is likely to be seen in North Korea due to the rapid spread of omicron, given that the country reports nearly 20,000 daily infections. If the death toll rises high, the country may have to ask China for support, he said.
China said Thursday it was ready to assist North Korea with its corona epidemic.
North Korea’s Kim said on Friday that coronary infections show a weak point in systems to prevent the epidemic. KCNA said the director said that preventing the spread of the virus by actively closing the areas and isolating and treating fevers is a top priority.
Analysts say China’s omikron experience suggests that corona fenders may not be effective, but North Korea has little other option without viral treatments and corona vaccines.