The North Korean government announced that from “late April” to Monday, it had recorded 1,213,550 “fever” cases related to the Chinese coronavirus in the country, a surprising number considering the communist regime said it had not seen a case of infection. pain last week
state newspaper Rodong Sinmun In North Korea, 50 people have died from the Chinese coronavirus so far.
“More than 392,920 new cases of fever, 152,600 recoveries and 8 deaths were recorded nationwide from 6pm on May 14 to 6pm on May 15, according to the State Center for Emergency Outbreak Prevention,” the report said. Rodong Sinmun reported. “The total number of febrile patients since the end of April at 18:00 on May 15 has exceeded 1,213,550, of which more than 648,630 have recovered and at least 564,860 people have been treated. The death toll has reached 50,” he said.
Dictator Kim Jong-un’s government announced on May 12 a “breakthrough” in the country’s efforts to contain the spread of the disease in the country, and for the first time since scientists identified the Chinese coronavirus as a new pathogen. At the end of 2019, confirmed cases of coronavirus infection were detected in Pyongyang. Many international observers vehemently questioned the Communist Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) statement that it had completely eradicated the disease from its borders within two years, especially because of the rumors circulating in the opposition media about infectious diseases and Kim Jong-un’s crying Kim Jong-un. strange speech. . The UN issued an apology for a particularly difficult year for its citizens in October 2020.
Rodong Sinmun He reported that Kim has held at least two high-level WPK meetings since last Thursday, one on Saturday and one on Monday, to personally address the situation. At a recent meeting, Kim reprimanded his officials for not providing adequate access to essential medicines or organizing an appropriate public health response to the reported outbreak.
“In order to immediately prevent and combat the spread of the epidemic, the Politburo of the Party Central Committee issued an emergency order for the immediate release and timely supply of the state drug reserve and for all pharmacies to be operational around the clock,” the state newspaper reported, “But the orders are not properly implemented and Pharmacies of drugs are not properly distributed.
Noting that the drugs provided by the state were not delivered to the public on time through pharmacies, he continued as follows: [Kim Jong-un] “This is because the cabinet and health sector officials who manage the supply are not closed without a full understanding of the current crisis, but only speak of the spirit of dedicated service to the public.”
“HE IS [Kim] He fiercely criticized the cabinet and the health sector for their irresponsible attitude to work and their organizational and executive skills,” he said. Rodong Sinmun. “Most pharmacies are not set up to perform their functions successfully and are in distress where there are no pharmacy warehouses other than display cases, referring to the situation where vendors offer services without proper whiteness. aprons and hygienic environment are not up to standards.”
However, a government newspaper appears to attribute the documented deaths from the coronavirus in a separate article to public ignorance, claiming that some North Koreans are “reckless” in getting proper treatment.
“We suggest that a large proportion of people die with careless medication due to lack of knowledge and understanding of the latent variant of Omicron virus infection and the correct method of treatment”, Rodong Sinmun Allegedly, “since the current crisis against the epidemic arose, various measures were immediately taken to eliminate it.”
Announcing the outbreak last week, the North Korean government, through popular media, described it as “the most serious state emergency” and said Kim had ordered “the entire country” to be shut down.
Urgent measures are being taken to block all provinces, provinces and districts across the country and to isolate work teams, production units and life unions. Rodong Sinmun Reiterated on Saturday, “Perform a stricter medical examination of all residents to identify, carefully isolate and actively treat all people with fever and abnormal symptoms.”
North Korea’s communist regime claims to have registered zero coronavirus cases before last Thursday’s uncertain “end of April” timeline. In August 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported only one “inconclusive” trial. North Korea borders China, the country of origin of the Chinese coronavirus, and Russia and South Korea, the two countries hardest hit by the pandemic, with many unsure whether they have successfully controlled the virus.
Announcing a “total” curfew last week made North Korea one of the few countries in the world still using mass house arrest to reduce the number of cases. Alongside the Pyongyang regime, China is the only major country on the world stage to pursue this policy, which continues to keep the 26 million residents of its largest city, Shanghai, under lockdown at press time. The quarantine in Shanghai has devastated the Chinese economy and caused widespread civil unrest and global condemnation.
Witness reports in North Korea indicate that the current large-scale coronavirus outbreak was partly due to a huge military parade honoring the country’s armed forces last month. A North Korean border guard stationed near China told Radio Free Asia (RFA) last week that guards on the Yalu River border between the two countries began showing coronavirus symptoms in early May.
“Most of the positives were officers and soldiers who took part in the military parade on April 25,” said an unidentified bodyguard. “Health officials reported the incident to the National Emergency Quarantine Authority, which sent it No.1. [top importance] report. “
North Korea celebrates the anniversary of the founding of its armed forces, April 25, 2022 (Rodong Sinmun/Democratic People’s Republic of Korea)
Another guard told RFA that the regime had ordered soldiers to wear gas masks to prevent the spread of the disease.
newspaper in south korea JunAn Ilbo On Monday, sources familiar with Pyongyang-Beijing relations reportedly have evidence that North Korea has turned to China to purchase vital supplies such as coronavirus test kits.
“According to sources, items specifically requested by North Korea include a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test kit and drugs for treatment. [Chinese coronavirus]” JunAn Ilbo nature. “At the moment, negotiations are underway between the two countries on delivery methods and the amount of equipment,” the sources said.
Chinese officials have previously expressed their willingness to assist North Korea with supplies if needed.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol also extended aid on Monday.
“We must not fail to provide much-needed assistance to the people of North Korea under threat from the coronavirus,” Yoon said on Monday, speaking to the National Assembly for the first time since taking office on May 10. We will not exempt any necessary support such as medicine, including from the North Korean authorities. [Chinese coronavirus] vaccines, medical equipment and healthcare personnel. ”
North Korean officials reportedly did not respond to this offer at press time.
Source: Breitbart
