Against the background of the corona outbreak in the country, North Korea has again reported hundreds of thousands of fever patients. More than 232,000 people with symptoms of fever were registered on Tuesday, the state media reported on Wednesday, citing the state emergency center for epidemic prevention. The number of fever-related deaths rose by six to 62. North Korea does not confirm whether those affected have been infected with the corona virus because, according to experts, there is hardly any testing capacity.
The total number of febrile illnesses reportedly climbed to more than 1.7 million in 24 hours. More than a million people affected have recovered, and around 691,000 are still receiving medical treatment.
The isolated and authoritarian country officially confirmed cases of infection with the pathogen for the first time last Thursday. Since then, it has been trying to curb the “spread of the epidemic” with a nationwide lockdown. Another measure is information campaigns aimed at making people aware of the dangers of the “disguised omicron variant” as well as treatment methods and prevention rules via the media.
At a meeting of the ruling Labor Party’s Politburo, leader Kim Jong Un accused senior officials of initially failing to respond appropriately to the outbreak, state media reported. Their “negligence and inactivity” exposed the weaknesses of the epidemic prevention system.
