The North Korean military has started distributing drugs to treat covid-19 in pharmacies in Pyongyang, as the epidemic spreads in the country, with the official KCNA agency reporting nearly 1.5 million cases of "fever".
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has imposed a national lockdown in an effort to limit the spread of covid-19 in the country, whose population is unvaccinated, and has deployed the military to assist in the fight against the outbreak. Hundreds of members of the Korean People's Army, wearing camouflage uniforms, gathered in Pyongyang, according to images reported by KCNA.
The army "deployed its strong forces to all pharmacies in Pyongyang city on an emergency basis and began distributing medicine under a 24-hour service," the source said.
Kim Jong-un strongly criticized North Korean authorities yesterday Monday for the way they are handling the outbreak, particularly their inability to keep pharmacies open around the clock.
Since last Thursday, when the country announced its first case of covid-19, the North Korean leader has been personally managing the battle against the epidemic, which he said has caused "great disruption" in North Korea.
Authorities reported more than 1.48 million cases of "fever" and 56 deaths since covid-19 appeared in the country, while "at least 663.910 people are receiving treatment."
Chronic malnutrition
North Korean authorities have stepped up public awareness campaigns and laboratories have increased drug production, KCNA reported.
The country's health system ranks 193rd out of 195 countries, according to a report last year by U.S. Johns Hopkins University. The country's hospitals lack adequate equipment and intensive care units are scarce. According to experts, North Korea has no treatment for covid-19 and lacks the capacity to mass test its population.
"Most North Koreans suffer from chronic malnutrition and are not vaccinated, there are virtually no medicines left in the country, and the health infrastructure is unable to cope with this pandemic," Lina Yun, a researcher specializing in Korea, told Human Rights Watch. She called on the international community to offer the country medicine, vaccines and medical equipment.
So far, Pyongyang has not responded to Seoul's offer of aid. South Korea's new president, Yun Suk-gel, has adopted a tougher stance than his predecessor towards the neighbouring country.
But he told the National Assembly yesterday that he "will not hesitate to offer the necessary aid to the North Korean people" if he accepts it.
Despite the health crisis, new satellite images show that North Korea has restarted construction of a nuclear reactor, which had long been suspended. Washington and Seoul suspect that Pyongyang is preparing a nuclear test, which would be the seventh in its history and the first since 2017.
Source: APM
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