North Korea confirms first Covid-19 case, declares 'severe national emergency'
Samples taken from patients sick with fever in Pyongyang "coincided with Omicron BA.2 variant", said reports.
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Seoul, May 12: North Korea confirmed its first-ever Covid-19 cases on Thursday and declared a "serious emergency", with leader Kim Jong Un ordering lockdowns across the country. The country had never admitted to a case of Covid-19 and the govt had imposed a rigid coronavirus blockade of its borders since the start of the pandemic in 2020.
Kim added that North Korea will "overcome the current sudden situation and win victory in the emergency epidemic prevention work". North Korea's crumbling health infrastructure would struggle to deal with a major outbreak, with its 25 million people not believed to be vaccinated, experts say.
North Korea has turned down offers of vaccinations from the World Health Organization, and China and Russia.
Samples taken from patients sick with fever in Pyongyang "coincided with Omicron BA.2 variant", said reports. Top officials, including leader Kim Jong Un, held a crisis politburo meeting on Thursday, to discuss the outbreak and announced they would implement "maximum emergency epidemic prevention system."
Kim "called on all the cities and counties of the whole country to thoroughly lock down their areas," said reports. Kim told the meeting that the goal was to "quickly cure the infections in order to eradicate the source of the virus spread," according to reports.
Kim added that North Korea will "overcome the current sudden situation and win victory in the emergency epidemic prevention work". North Korea's crumbling health infrastructure would struggle to deal with a major outbreak, with its 25 million people not believed to be vaccinated, experts say.
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"For Pyongyang to publicly admit omicron cases, the public health situation must be serious," Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul said.
North Korea has turned down offers of vaccinations from the World Health Organization, and China and Russia.