The leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-Un, reported on victory in the fight against the coronavirus and ordered the cancellation of all anti-epidemic measures, which were introduced only in May 2022.
This was reported by the state publication KCNA, and CNN writes the details.
North Korea has not stated how many confirmed cases it has detected, but the country has not reported any new suspected cases since July 29 (which international organizations attributed to limited testing capacity). Instead of confirmed cases, the country reported the number of people with fever symptoms, with a peak of 392 000 on May 15, prompting health experts to warn of an imminent crisis. There was no vaccination in the country. The country relied on quarantine and home treatment. The official death toll in North Korea is 74 people for all time.
Kim Jong-Un noted that North Korea should maintain a "steel anti-epidemic barrier and intensify anti-epidemic work until the end of the global health crisis."
Kim Jong-Un added that the North is carrying out intensive medical examinations across the country, including daily PCR tests of water collected in border areas, and developing new methods to better detect the virus and its strains.
Kimʼs sister, Kim Yo Jong, stated that the North Korean leader himself was suffering from symptoms of a fever and blamed leaflets from South Korea for the outbreak.
Analysts say that while the authoritarian North has used the pandemic to tighten social controls, the declaration of victory over the virus could be a prelude to the resumption of trade, which has been hampered by border blockades and other restrictions.
The World Health Organization cast doubt on North Koreaʼs claims, saying last month that it believed the situation was getting worse, not better, amid a lack of independent data.
- On May 12, 2022, North Korea reported the "first cases" of coronavirus infection and imposed a lockdown, the next day the country reported the first deaths.
- On May 14, leader Kim Jong-Un recognized the outbreak of the coronavirus as the "biggest shock" for the country.