Seoul, North Korea

Just two weeks after North Korea declared its victory over COVID-19 and lifted the majority of its restrictions, the country reported four new fever instances on Thursday, stating that they were suspected of being part of the 'malignant pandemic', the state media reported.

Advertisment

The isolated country, which has enforced a strict watch since the coronavirus outbreak, confirmed an omicron outbreak in Pyongyang in May. The virus also sickened North Korean leader Kim Jong Un earlier this year.

However, the official KCNA said that the four fever instances had been discovered in the bordering Chinese province of Ryanggang, AFP reported.

Also read | Kim Jong Un's sister rejects South Korea's economic assistance plan; will not give up nukes

Advertisment

KCNA said that the authorities immediately sealed the areas and sent organised anti-epidemic teams and treatment teams to check on the situation.

Additionally, the state media stated that the government is also taking measures to investigate the origin of these fevers. The country is currently referring to the four instances as "fever patients" and not "Covid patients," which implies that reports are lacking proper testing as of now.

According to state media, 74 people died out of nearly 4.8 million "fever cases," at an official fatality rate of 0.002 per cent.

Advertisment

Also read | North Korea lifts mask mandate after 'victory' over COVID-19

Since the time the country declared its victory over COVID-19 on July 29, there have been no additional cases reported so far.

Experts are trying to figure out the origin of these fever cases. The experts also claim that North Korea has one of the worst healthcare systems in the world, with underfunded hospitals, few care units, and no Covid treatments drugs.

According to a Seoul-based website, despite receiving vaccines from China, it is not believed to have vaccinated any of its 25 million population.

Pyongyang blames South Korea for the outbreak.

(With inputs from agencies)