North Korea announces its first death from Covid-19 and declares a national spread – Ouest-France

North Korea announced this Friday, May 13, 2022, its first death from Covid-19, stating that more than 187,000 people with fever were “isolated and treated” and that the virus had already spread “throughout the country. “. The official government news agency KCNA claimed that leader Kim Jong-Un visited the National Epidemic Prevention Headquarters and “learned about the spread of Covid-19 throughout the country”. . Six people died of “fever” “A fever whose cause could not be identified spread explosively throughout the country from the end of April,” she said. Six people with “fever” have died in the country, including one who tested positive for Omicron’s BA.2 subvariant, she said. The reclusive country reported its first-ever Covid-19 cases on Thursday, saying North Korea was moving into “maximum emergency epidemic prevention” mode. “On May 12 alone, some 18,000 people had a fever across the country and, at present, 187,800 people are isolated and treated”, according to the same source. Pyongyang takes containment measures None of the 25 million inhabitants are vaccinated against the coronavirus, as Pyongyang has rejected offers of vaccinations from the WHO, China and Russia. On Thursday, Kim Jong-Un chaired an emergency political bureau meeting on the epidemic situation and ordered containment measures to try to stem the spread of the virus. “This is the most important challenge and the most important task facing our Party to quickly reverse this health crisis situation,” KCNA added. North Korea has long boasted of its ability to keep the virus at bay, and had not reported a single confirmed case of Covid-19 to the World Health Organization. Covid-19 may have already spread across the country, analysts say, including major events in April in Pyongyang. “The staging of a military parade attended by a large crowd, as the Omicron raged in neighboring China, shows that Pyongyang was overconfident in its abilities to fight and prevent the virus,” he told Reuters. AFP Cheong Seong-chang, North Korea specialist at the Sejong Institute. Fear of a major health crisis The country could face a major health crisis, with Omicron being highly transmissible, he said, recalling that Pyongyang has reported nearly 20,000 cases in a single day. “If the death toll from Omicron skyrockets, Pyongyang may need to seek support from neighboring China,” he added. Beijing on Thursday offered aid to North Korea, whose health infrastructure is notoriously failing. China, the world’s only major economy to maintain a zero Covid policy, however, is grappling with multiple outbreaks of Omicron despite strict lockdowns and massive testing across the country. Mr. Kim ordered “containment” measures and ordered that “those affected should be isolated and treated responsibly,” KCNA reported. Hours after reporting its first Covid cases on Thursday, North Korea fired ballistic missiles. The administration of new South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol blasted the new tests as part of a “permanent provocation to fire ballistic missiles, despite the outbreak of the coronavirus”. North Korea announces first death from Covid-19 and declares nationwide spreadEXPAND