According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency, North Korea boasts of “a positive trend” in fighting the country’s Covid outbreak.
While the government last week ordered “maximum emergency measures” to fight the raging epidemic, on Sunday the government changed its tone, claiming it had quickly reversed the trajectory of the outbreak.
On Monday, North Korea reported 167,650 new suspected coronavirus cases and one death, a dip after the government reported daily cases of more than 200,000 for more than a week. But it remains difficult to get a true picture of the outbreak in the country given the lack of transparency in the country.
If the official figures are correct, more than 2.5 million people would be infected and 67 people have died from the virus, according to state officials.
In the first two years of the pandemic, the government stuck to its claim that there had been no positive cases in the country. But this month it acknowledged the country’s first confirmed case, in April, followed by a huge surge a few weeks ago.
During President Biden’s visit to South Korea over the weekend to meet South Korea’s new president Yoon Suk-yeol, the leaders said their countries were “ready to work with the international community” on North Korea. Korea to fight the virus. North Korea has not responded to the offer.
Meanwhile, South Korea on Monday reported its lowest number of cases in nearly four months, with the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency saying there were 9,975 new daily cases. The country has fully vaccinated 86 percent of the population.
