(Seoul) The latest cases of “fever” detected earlier this week in North Korea are linked to the flu virus and not to a resurgence of COVID-19, contrary to what was first suspected, said Friday the official KCNA agency.
Posted at 10:23 p.m.
This clarification comes the day after Pyongyang announced the confinement of parts of the province of Ryanggang, bordering China, after having identified four new cases of “fever” there.
“All cases of fever […] from Ryanggang province were (cases of) influenza”, that is to say the flu, KCNA said, based on data from health authorities.
The patients “have recovered and (have regained) a normal temperature,” the agency added, adding that the preventive confinement of the area had been lifted.
KCNA announced on Thursday that the four new cases of “fever” were suspected to be linked to the “malignant outbreak” of coronavirus, two weeks after the country proclaimed a “smashing victory” against COVID-19.
North Korea speaks of “patients with fever” rather than “COVID-19 patients”, presumably due to a lack of means to carry out tests.
The isolated regime, which has maintained a strict closure of its borders since the start of the pandemic, confirmed in May an epidemic of the Omicron variant in Pyongyang, its capital.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who himself fell ill during the outbreak, said earlier this month he had won a “stunning victory” against the virus and ordered the lifting of almost all restrictions, such as the obligation to wear a mask, when no more cases had been detected.
The country has recorded nearly 4.8 million “cases of fever” since the end of April, with only 74 deaths for an official mortality rate of 0.002%, according to state media. No cases had been identified since July 29.
Experts, including the WHO, are skeptical of Pyongyang’s health statistics and its ostensible control of the outbreak.
The country’s hospitals are notoriously under-equipped, with few intensive care units and no treatment or vaccine, although South Korean specialist outlet NK News reported that the country received vaccine doses from China.
Pyongyang has accused South Korea of being the source of the outbreak in the country, threatening it with “strong retaliation”.