Covid-19: North Korea claims to have recovered from outbreak

North Korea asserts that everyone who contracted the COVID-19 disease has recovered since the country confirmed its initial infections.

According to state media on Friday, there had been no occurrences of fever for the seventh day in a row. Due to a lack of testing equipment, North Korea refers to “fever” patients rather than “COVID” patients.

Since May, when the COVID outbreak was first made public, fever infections and fatalities have been recorded.

But there is a lot of doubt about the figures, especially the death toll.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Friday that “all those receiving treatments have recovered across the country” and that “no new fever cases were identified throughout the last week.”

It was announced that North Korea had attained a condition of “stability” and that the administration would “redouble efforts to preserve excellence in the execution of state anti-epidemic initiatives.”

Pyongyang has not confirmed the number of people who tested positive for COVID.

However, according to official media, 74 people have died since late April, the lowest death rate in the world at 0.002 per cent, while 4.77 million fever victims have fully recovered.

Many experts find it difficult to accept these facts.

Experts claim that North Korea has one of the poorest healthcare systems in the world and that there are no COVID-19 vaccines or treatments available there.

According to official figures, South Korea has a recorded COVID death rate of 0.12% despite having a cutting-edge healthcare system and a well-immunised populace.

North Korea’s alleged casualties were almost certainly overblown, according to Shin Young-Jeon, a professor at Hanyang University’s medical school in Seoul, who estimates that the death toll might reach 50,000.

In terms of inter-Korean relations, South Korea’s Minister for Reunification Kwon Young-se stated last week that while Covid appeared to be “mostly under control” in the North, the figures had “credibility concerns.”