SEOUL: North Korea reported less than 50,000 new fever cases for the first time since it announced a Covid-19 outbreak last month, Yonhap news agency reported, quoting the country’s state media on Friday.
Around 45,540 people showed symptoms of fever over a 24-hour period until 6 pm the previous day, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, citing data from the state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters. It provided no further information regarding additional deaths.
The total number of fever cases since late April came to over 4.34 million as of 6 pm Thursday, of which more than 4.26 million have recovered, and at least 83,980 are being treated, it added.
The country’s daily fever tally has been on a downward trend after peaking at over 392,920 on May 15.
North Korean health officials are “voluntarily and dutifully preserving their unity” and “acting in concert” to fight the pandemic, according to the KCNA.
South Korean observers question the credibility of the statistics, with the North stating that its death toll stood at just 71 as of June 3. That figure means that North Korea’s Covid-19 fatality rate stands at just 0.002 per cent, compared to South Korea’s 0.13 per cent posted a day earlier.
On May 12, North Korea disclosed its first Covid-19 case after claiming to be coronavirus-free for over two years. - Bernama
