Cases of Covid (or "fever" as they call it in Pyongyang) in North Korea are increasing. The state agency KCNA reported that with 270,000 new cases in 24 hours , the total count exceeded 1.48 million with 56 deaths overall.
At least three planes of the national airline Air Koryo have connected Pyongyang and the Chinese city of Shenyang to load medical and anti-pandemic materials from China. Seoul for its part has specified that the North has not yet responded to the offer of aid made yesterday.
North Korea confirmed on Thursday the first case of Covid-19 after more than two years of pandemic. The KCNA added that, following the instructions given yesterday by leader Kim Jong-un against a hitherto inadequate service, the army has been deployed in pharmacies in Pyongyang to supply medicines with a 24-hour system.
The outbreak could be linked to clandestine trade and smuggling activities taking place on the border with China. North Korea is vulnerable to infectious diseases due to the chronic shortage of food and medicine due to international economic sanctions.
The country was supposed to receive AstraZeneca's vaccines through the UN-backed Covax program in May 2021, but operations were postponed because the regime was reluctant to follow related instructions.
(Unioneonline / L)