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- BBC News World
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1 hour
image source, Getty Images
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Employees disinfect a Pyongyang supermarket in October last year
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The rapidly spreading Covid-19 outbreak in North Korea is a “major disaster” for the country, its leader Kim Jong-un has said, according to state media.
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Kim announced an all-out battle to tackle the spread of the virus during an emergency meeting.
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The move comes after the first cases were confirmed, although experts believe the virus has probably been circulating for some time.
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It is feared that a major outbreak could have dire consequences in North Korea.
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Its population of 25 millionis vulnerable due to the lack of a vaccination program and a poor health system.
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And on Saturday, state media reported that there has been half a million cases of unexplained fever in recent weeks. The country has limited capacity to test for COVID-19, so most cases are unconfirmed.
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The figure marked a major increase on numbers given a few days earlier, which could provide some indication of the scale of the outbreak in the country.
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“The spread of the malignant epidemic is [la mayor] turmoil that has befallen our country since its founding,” Kim was quoted as saying by the official KCNA news agency.
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He blamed the crisis on bureaucratic and medical incompetence, and suggested lessons can be learned from the response of countries like China.
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image source, EPA
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Kim Jong-un calls covid response meeting on May 12
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State media reports that 27 personas they have died since April after suffering from a fever.
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Reports do not say whether they have tested positive for Covid, apart from one death in the capital Pyongyang, which was confirmed to be a case of the omicron variant.
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The secretive country rejected offers from the international community to supply millions of AstraZeneca and Chinese-made doses last year. Instead, it claimed that it had brought Covid-19 under control by sealing its borders in early January 2020.
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The country shares land borders with South Korea and China, which have both battled heavy outbreaks. China is now struggling to contain a wave of omicron with lockdowns in its largest cities.
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At a meeting that outlined the new covid-19 rules, Kim was seen wearing a face mask on television.
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He ordered “maximum emergency” virus checks, which appeared to include orders for local lockdowns and restrictions on gatherings at workplaces.
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South Korea has said it offered humanitarian aid after the May 12 announcement, but Pyongyang has yet to respond.
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