North Korea made the first official report of an infection with the corona virus on Thursday. A day later, the first death from the virus was reported.
Negligence
The cause of death of five other people who died with a fever is still being investigated. That number is now likely to rise.
According to KCNA, a mysterious fever has been circulating in the country since the end of April. Hundreds of thousands of people are said to be infected, some of whom have now been cured. It is not known whether people also tested positive for corona. According to experts, North Korea lacks the capacity to test on a large scale.
State media report that many of the deaths are the result of negligence. For example, patients would have received an overdose of medicines due to a lack of knowledge.
‘A major disaster’
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called the outbreak “a major disaster” and “the worst plague our country has faced since its inception.” On Thursday, Kim already announced a national lockdown.
North Korea has maintained for two years that no one in the country had contracted the virus. That claim is widely doubted.
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