According to North Korean authorities, the “fever wave” in the country is under control and the number of new cases of fever is declining sharply. Two weeks ago, the number of daily reported cases was over 390,000. On Thursday, the number was 96,610. On Friday, the number was 82,160 and on Saturday it went down further, to 79,100, according to the North Korean news agency KCNA. 71 people are said to have died of the feverish disease, reports KCNA and refers to the state crisis center for epidemic prevention. In total, almost 4 million have had fever symptoms since the end of April, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates. They base their estimates on figures released by the North Korean news agency. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visits a pharmacy in Pyongyang on May 15, 2022. Reuters reports that they have received the picture from the North Korean news agency KCNA and can not independently verify it. Photo: KCNA / Reuters “Fever” – not “corona” On May 12, the news came that the first case of coronary heart disease had been detected in North Korea, more than two years after the pandemic broke out. Samples taken by people with fever “correspond” with the omicron variant of the coronavirus, it was stated in the messages from KCNA. It was probably the sub-variant BBA. 2 that had begun to spread, reported the World Health Organization. The North Korean authorities consistently call the cases “fever cases” and not “corona cases”. Kim Jong-un quickly ordered the closure of the entire country. The strict measures are to be the reason for the sharp decline in recent days, KCNA writes in a statement. According to the health authorities, 95 percent of those who have been affected by the fever have recovered. How many are tested for coronary heart disease is stated by North Koreans. Only people with fever or fever symptoms are counted. Analysts at the World Health Organization fear the real reason for this is that the closed country does not have coronary tests. In the last two years, North Korea has kept its borders with neighboring countries closed and goods that have been allowed in and out have been about zero. On May 27, the Pyongyang Railway Station was empty of people. Photo: KIM WON JIN / AFP Want to make vaccines yourself The World Health Organization has offered its help several times since 12 May. They fear the country lacks tests, vaccines, medicines and food. But the North Korean authorities have refused all help. Twice vaccine deliveries from the international vaccine collaboration COVAX have been rejected. Instead, the authorities state through KCNA that they are focusing on increasing the self-production of medicines and medical equipment. Prime Minister Kim Tok She recently visited two pharmaceutical factories and declared that the industry should take a step up and produce according to “international standards”. “Adequate production and access to medicines is a necessity when it comes to protecting people’s lives and health in the ongoing campaign against the epidemic,” Kim Tok Hun said according to KCNA. A woman on her way to a pharmacy in the capital Pyongyang on May 27. Photo: KIM WON JIN / AFP Inside the pharmacy, a doctor from the Korean army distributes medicine to the woman. Photo: KIM WON JIN / AFP Surprisingly opens up the capital Last Saturday, May 28, Kim Jong-un held a meeting with the Communist Party’s Politburo. Together, they concluded that the situation is “clearly under control” and “greatly improving”. They therefore decided that the strict restrictions imposed in mid-May could be eased. Initially, this only applies to the capital Pyongyang, which has been completely deserted and quiet in recent weeks. In other provinces, the closure continues. North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un during a meeting with the Communist Party’s Politburo on May 28. Photo: KCNA / Reuters Because at the same time as the information about it being released in Pyongyang, the state crisis center for epidemic prevention came with an order for further infection control measures. Among other things, they point to the importance of using a face mask, although this can be perceived as a nuisance in the coming summer heat. According to the South Korean website Daily NK, which has contacts inside North Korea, the state crisis body predicts “a possible crisis peak” in June or July. “Therefore, the work must continue in all sectors,” it says. Differentiated quarantines are introduced. The quarantine period will be different, as will the requirements for where the quarantine will be carried out – depending on whether you have a fever for the first or second time. Healthcare professionals from major hospitals are being asked to help smaller clinics and quarantine stations, hoping to curb outbreaks throughout the summer. They are also asked to respond quickly to other seasonal diseases. The goal is for there to be “more normal conditions of action” in September. A mail van is disinfected in the capital Pyongyang to prevent the spread of fever. Reuters reports that they have received the picture from the North Korean news agency KCNA and can not independently verify it. Photo: KCNA / Reuters WHO skeptical The World Health Organization is skeptical of reports from North Korea that the number of cases of infection is declining sharply. Michael Ryan, Emergency Management Director at the World Health Organization. Photo: FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP – We assume that the situation has gotten worse and not better, said WHO’s emergency director Michael Ryan on Wednesday. The WHO does not have access to information other than that reported through the state-run North Korean media. – We have challenges in gaining access to independent data and the actual situation on the ground, Ryan said and made no secret of the fact that it is frustrating. The WHO is cooperating with South Korea and China, in an attempt to obtain an overview of the actual situation. When the first corona cases were confirmed in North Korea, the director of emergency preparedness expressed concern that the country could become a breeding ground for new “corona variants”. Ryan justified it with the lack of vaccines and the poor condition of the North Korean health service. In addition, the WHO reckons that parts of the population are in poor health due to periods of food shortages. There are major differences within North Korea as to who has access to food and other vital goods. Especially outside the metropolitan area, WHO experts reckon that living conditions for many are very poor, and that it has gotten even worse during the pandemic. Because when the borders were closed, the supply of goods and medicines from countries such as Russia and China also stopped. The director of emergency preparedness is still concerned about the situation. – This is not good for the people of North Korea. It is not good for the region. That’s not good for the world, said Michael Ryan. These women distributed cabbage and other vegetables to residents of Pyongyang who were in quarantine on May 16. Photo: Jon Chol Jin / AP Defectors support WHO North Korean defectors are also skeptical of the messages from Pyongyang. “This is the way the North Korean propaganda machine works,” former North Korean diplomat Thae Yong-ho told The Washington Post. “Everything is manipulated so that the regime and Kim Jong-un appear as good as possible:” We have a crisis, but it must be resolved and overcome with the help of our dear leader who is humane, wise and capable “, like a god, says Thae Yong- ho, who now sits in the South Korean National Assembly. Ryu Hyn-woo was ambassador to Kuwait until he resigned. He claims that the health care system in North Korea is in a worse condition than most people can imagine. The hospitals lack absolutely necessary things, the hygiene conditions are unsatisfactory and the power supply is unstable. This also applies to the best hospitals in the capital, Ryu tells The Washington Post. Editor-in-chief Lee Sang of the website Daily NK says many North Koreans are very tired after two years of strict measures. He says that people with symptoms of fever have been refused to leave their homes for a long time, even to buy food. “In areas with strict measures, people have starved to death because they have not been able to sow in time or buy the necessary things so that they can produce food,” Lee Sang told the American newspaper. The latest order from the North Korean Crisis Center emphasizes that the production of rice and other food must be a priority. The same with production in other significant industries. One of the military parades in Pyongyang to celebrate the North Korean army’s 90 years. The photo was taken on April 26. Photo: KCNA / Reuters Military parade probably contagious The cause of the fever outbreaks is believed to be the many military parades that were held in late April and early May. Then it should be noted that the North Korean army was 90 years old. Since the spring of 2020, it had been forbidden to travel between the various provinces in the country, in addition to in and out of the country. This was loosened up during the first three months of the year. Soldiers and officers flocked to Pyongyang from across the country to practice and parade. Tens of thousands of civilians did the same, witnessing the celebration of the army. The soldiers marched shoulder to shoulder, while in the stands people stood close together – most of them without face masks or other protection.
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North Korea claims control of coronavirus – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
