New cases of what North Korea calls a “malignant fever”—almost certainly COVID19—appear to be doubling every 2 days in the country.
Over the weekend, when Kee Park saw the latest figures on what North Korea calls a “malignant fever” sweeping the country, he realized how dark the outlook had become. New cases of the illness—almost certainly COVID-19, caused by the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2—appear to be doubling every 2 days in the last significant population in the world, some 25 million people, that has no immunity to the disease from vaccination or infection.
Aid agencies are gearing up for a robust response—if North Korea is willing to open its doors. The North Korean government has ignored past offers of COVID-19 vaccines, presumably to avoid international monitoring of vaccine distribution, humanitarian experts who have worked in North Korea say. But they believe the crisis – which North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un has acknowledged is causing a “great upheaval”—will in the coming days persuade the reclusive nation to request assistance.
But now the Korean Central News Agency, a government outlet, has reported that new cases of presumptive COVID-19 have skyrocketed from 18,000 on 12 May to 392,920 on 15 May, including several confirmed as caused by the BA.2 Omicron subvariant. Since late April, North Korean health authorities have tallied more than 1.2 million cases of symptomatic illness and 50 deaths, including six children.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
S.Korea says it will spare no effort to help North Korea amid COVID outbreakSouth Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol said on Monday the country will spare no effort to help North Korea, as the isolated nation battles a COVID-19 outbreak, and reiterated he will remain open for humanitarian aid.
Read more »
S.Korea says it will spare no effort to help North Korea amid COVID outbreakSouth Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol said on Monday the country will spare no effort to help North Korea, as the isolated nation battles a COVID-19 outbreak, and reiterated he will remain open for humanitarian aid.
Read more »
North Korea Reports More COVID-19 DeathsNorth Korea reported 15 more COVID-19 deaths on Sunday, bringing the country’s death toll to 42. State media also reported another 296,180 infections, adding up to a total of 820,620 in recent weeks. After claiming no coronavirus cases for the entire pandemic, North Korea announced its first COVID-19 patients on Thursday.
Read more »
North Korea: More than a million Covid cases fearedThe military has been ordered to intervene as a wave of Covid cases sweeps the unvaccinated country.
Read more »
North Korea brags about baby formula in apparent dig at U.S. shortageA newly published article from the country's state-run media said that Kim Jong Un personally taste-tested batches of baby formula to help perfect a new recipe.
Read more »