Three months after the first confirmation of a corona outbreak in the country, North Korea says it has overcome the virus. Ruler Kim Jong Un has solemnly declared victory in the battle to eradicate the “novel coronavirus”, state-controlled media reported Thursday. Kim’s sister explained that the ruler himself suffered from “high fever”.
The North Korean dictator ordered the lifting of protective measures, state news agency KCNA reported Thursday. The campaign against the virus is now over, but North Korea must remain vigilant and monitor border areas effectively, Kim said.
Brought in with leaflets?
Meanwhile, his sister explained that the outbreak of the disease was due to enemies in South Korea who brought the virus with leaflets. South Korea, however, sharply rejected this.
“We deeply regret that North Korea has repeatedly made unfounded claims about the course of the coronavirus infection and made very disrespectful and threatening statements,” said the South Korean Unification Ministry, which is responsible for inter-Korean affairs.
4.8 million “fever cases” recorded
For nearly two weeks, North Korea has reported no new cases of illness or suspected cases related to the outbreak. It is still unclear how many corona infections there have actually been. The strictly isolated country had officially confirmed infections with the pathogen for the first time in mid-May and spoke of an epidemic emergency. Since then, however, people speak of “fever cases”. According to its own information, nearly 4.8 million such cases have been registered since the end of April. 74 were killed.
Experts assume that North Korea does not have sufficient testing capabilities. However, according to their own statements, the authorities immediately sent “mobile anti-epidemic” teams to those regions where febrile cases had occurred to perform PCR and antibody tests to determine the cause of the symptom.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
