China suspects wind blowing from North Korea leading to Covid wave in Dandong

Daily Covid cases have been increasing in the Chinese city of Dandong, which shares a border with North Korea, raising suspicion that wind blowing in from North Korea could be a reason behind it.

Despite being locked down since the end of April, daily cases have been trending up in Dandong, a city of 2.19 million.

According to the city’s Center for Disease Control, most of the infected people found in the community during the past week had not been outside of their housing compounds for at least four days prior to their diagnosis.

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North Korean state media has said that the Covid wave has abated, after daily numbers of people with fever topped 390,000 about two weeks ago, but the World Health Organization has cast doubts on North Korea's claims of progress in the fight against a COVID-19 outbreak, saying it believes the situation is getting worse, not better, amid an absence of independent data.

Pyongyang has never directly confirmed how many people have tested positive for the virus but experts suspect underreporting in the figures released through government-controlled media, making it difficult to assess the scale of the situation.

The Chinese authorities have urged the residents living by the Yalu River that runs between the two countries to close their windows on days with southerly winds and go for regular testing.

There is not any clear scientific evidence backing up the theory. Research shows that infections through airborne transmission are unlikely over long distances, particularly in outdoor settings without repeated exposure.

[With inputs from agencies]

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