North Korea has notified the global community of its first reported case of Covid, a virus that can cause vaccine-preventable diseases like measles. This is an alarming discovery for many reasons, as North Korea’s isolationist stance makes it difficult to find accurate information about outbreaks in the country. Experts are urging further investigation into this situation and diagnosing new cases before they become widespread.
North Korea has reported its first local coronavirus infection. The country has locked down and is not allowing any movement outside of the country.
SEOUL— After reporting its first local incidence of Covid-19 more than two years after the epidemic started, North Korea, which has not immunized its populace, enforced a lockdown in all of its main towns.
According to a Thursday report in official media, the Omicron variety was discovered on May 8 in Pyongyang, and the country’s governing Workers’ Party Politburo issued a decision to develop an emergency anti-epidemic mechanism.
Despite testing tens of thousands of individuals, North Korea has claimed it has had no Covid-19 instances since the outbreak began. According to the article, North Korean officials discovered their first local Covid-19 case after collecting samples from fever sufferers in Pyongyang.
Because of its inadequate healthcare system and widespread malnutrition, North Korea is especially susceptible to the epidemic. The country has turned down over two million Covid-19 vaccinations provided by the Covax initiative, a vaccination-aid program funded mostly by Western governments.
According to the World Health Organization, North Korea is one of only two nations that has not yet given its citizens immunizations. Since neighboring nations started reporting Covid-19 instances in January 2020, it has kept its borders mainly closed.
Late last year, many visited Pyongyang’s Mansu Hill.
Associated Press photo by Cha Song Ho
According to a Thursday state media report, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged to resolve the “unexpected catastrophe” and requested tougher border restrictions. He issued city-wide lockdown orders and said that certain medical supplies should be supplied. Health specialists have questioned Pyongyang’s past claims of being Covid-free.
North Korea is bordered by Russia, China, and South Korea, all of which have recently seen severe outbreaks of the virus. Mr. Kim locked the borders with China and Russia in January 2020, increased transportation restrictions, and expelled diplomats and humanitarian workers from Pyongyang. North Korea has authorized very limited freight traffic from China, with commodities arriving by train subjected to a months-long disinfection and quarantine procedure.
According to official media, North Korea reported its first imported Covid-19 case in July 2020, when a person who had illegally entered South Korea in 2017 returned to North Korea. Mr. Kim promptly shut down Kaesong, a city on the border with South Korea, at the time.
North Korea has portrayed the struggle against Covid-19 as a triumph. Thousands of people saw a recent military march without wearing masks. However, official media said on Thursday that the outbreak was caused by the country’s anti-epidemic sector’s “carelessness, laxity, irresponsibility, and ineptitude.”
Mr. Kim is in the midst of a domestic crisis, having previously warned of possible food shortages. Cross-border commerce was suspended due to pandemic worries, causing the country’s economy to stall. North Korea’s economy, which is heavily reliant on cross-border trade with China, is unlikely to recover without mass immunization.
Despite the risk of a massive Covid epidemic, Mr. Kim directed authorities to proceed with planned building, agricultural growth, and other state initiatives, ostensibly to avoid the economy from degrading further. North Korea is in the midst of rice growing season, and a protracted siege might exacerbate food shortages by keeping people away from the fields.
Despite the fact that the Omicron version is less fatal than many earlier strains of the virus, North Korea may be more vulnerable than other nations due to poor disease immunity and restricted access to healthcare. North Korea also has limited testing capabilities, making it difficult for health experts to determine the extent of the virus’s spread.
North Korea isolated anyone with symptoms similar to Covid-19 early in the outbreak and ordered soldiers to kill anybody who tried to enter its borders on sight. The economy has been hit hard by the border restrictions, which come on top of international sanctions imposed in response to Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs.
North Korea analysts warn that prolonged isolation might trigger secondary health and food crises. During the epidemic, food, fertilizer, and humanitarian relief imports were banned. Feeding those who are confined to their homes for an extended length of time would be a big difficulty. North Korea lacks the logistical and distribution infrastructure of many other hard-hit nations, such as China.
While it is unknown how far the sickness has spread, Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, believes the public health situation must be dire for Pyongyang to openly confirm Omicron cases. The crisis might potentially put an end to the current barrage of weapons testing.
“When the imminent danger is coronavirus rather than a foreign military, the Kim regime’s local audience may be less interested in nuclear or missile testing,” Mr. Easley said.
Dasl Yoon can be reached at [email protected]
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The “cdc north korea” is a news article that discusses the first local Covid infection in North Korea. The country has been forced to lock down after reporting the infection.
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