Post by sevenofnine on May 15, 2022 17:26:47 GMT -5
I wouldn't be suprise if Little Kim ask for West help on this he know his medical system is very fragile
For almost two-and-a-half years, North Korea has stuck to its claim it has seen no cases of Covid-19. Not any more.
This week, the country confirmed its first infections. The highly reclusive nation had responded to the pandemic by closing its borders, although few believed it had really managed to escape the virus.
Now, the authorities are not only acknowledging the virus' presence but declaring an all-out battle to control it, with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un calling it the "greatest turmoil" to fall on the nation since its founding. A national lockdown is in place.
Hardly anywhere in the world is untouched by Covid. Cases have been recorded at the base camp of Everest and in Antarctica. Individual nations' responses to the pandemic have varied in severity, but have broadly meant vaccine programmes, testing, social distancing and limits on travel.
How the pandemic in North Korea will unfold is likely to remain murky, given the nation's secrecy.
There are fears Covid could be disastrous there. "I'm really concerned about how many people are going to die," said one of the experts who spoke to the BBC.
Frail healthcare system
The overwhelming challenge faced by North Korea is that the country lacks the most effective weapons against Covid.
The population is unvaccinated, and, assuming that cases were at the very least low until now, largely unexposed to the virus. With no immunity, there are fears of large numbers of deaths and of serious illness.
Testing is also very limited. The World Health Organization says North Korea has carried out about 64,000 tests since the start of the pandemic. In South Korea, which made test and trace a central part of its Covid strategy, the figure stands at about 172 million.
www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-61450255
For almost two-and-a-half years, North Korea has stuck to its claim it has seen no cases of Covid-19. Not any more.
This week, the country confirmed its first infections. The highly reclusive nation had responded to the pandemic by closing its borders, although few believed it had really managed to escape the virus.
Now, the authorities are not only acknowledging the virus' presence but declaring an all-out battle to control it, with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un calling it the "greatest turmoil" to fall on the nation since its founding. A national lockdown is in place.
Hardly anywhere in the world is untouched by Covid. Cases have been recorded at the base camp of Everest and in Antarctica. Individual nations' responses to the pandemic have varied in severity, but have broadly meant vaccine programmes, testing, social distancing and limits on travel.
How the pandemic in North Korea will unfold is likely to remain murky, given the nation's secrecy.
There are fears Covid could be disastrous there. "I'm really concerned about how many people are going to die," said one of the experts who spoke to the BBC.
Frail healthcare system
The overwhelming challenge faced by North Korea is that the country lacks the most effective weapons against Covid.
The population is unvaccinated, and, assuming that cases were at the very least low until now, largely unexposed to the virus. With no immunity, there are fears of large numbers of deaths and of serious illness.
Testing is also very limited. The World Health Organization says North Korea has carried out about 64,000 tests since the start of the pandemic. In South Korea, which made test and trace a central part of its Covid strategy, the figure stands at about 172 million.
www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-61450255