North Korea reports first official COVID-19 death | DW News

North Korea has reported its first death from COVID-19. The news comes a day after the country acknowledged an outbreak of the virus for the first time in this worldwide crisis -- ordering a lockdown. The state media says six people have died from a fever, that's been spreading fast nationwide. It's confirmed one of them had tested positive for the coronavirus' Omicron variant. It's also released this photo of leader Kim Jong Un at the emergency epidemic prevention headquarters. The country previously claimed to have had zero infections, during the pandemic. It's refused international help with vaccinations and has kept its borders closed.

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[michaeljustice]

If they’re officially declaring a national emergency the situation must be truly horrific.

[kinghenryxl]

The fact that they finally report their "first death" must mean that things are getting really bad and that corpses are piling up to the rafters.

[AGDinCA]

Their first deaths only a day or two after they announced their first infections? I don't think so. We all know there is a larger lag time between infection and mortality than just a day or two.

[unduloid]

it is absolutely impossible that this is the first death. They're lying through their teeth.

[BayuAH]

You know situation is really bad, if you even cannot hide the fact that you are having problem.

[madarab]

That's really gonna hurt the tourism.

[stalepoutine]

Nowhere in the world are people as malnourished as in North Korea, not even in Africa. I think North Korea is going to be an interesting insight into how covid affects the chronically malnourished, something we have very limited knowledge of.

[ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣΤΣΑΝΤΑΚΗΣ]

poor people 1official meaning 100 000 unofficial

[eigenvalue]

The dimsum bug + malnutrition plus + next to non-existent healthcare =
Billyboy's ideal mass depopulation scenario

[sarcasmo]

I hope the poor trapped people don't suffer too much.

[Obsidian-Nebula]

Let's be honest.. When country like that says "well.. ok, maybe someone actually died here too", that means at least 100K people are dead

[dyvel]

Oh, what an opportunity for Mr Dictator to claim that his least favorite siblings and relatives dies from COVID! Who do you want to bet on disappears?

[Billhatestheinternet]

How do you lock down a country that is already locked down?

[shyamaldaschancadd]

We all knew its a lie, My deep condalance for the civils being victim for Egoistic regime,

[devyn]

I just wanna know how it got spread when nobody can barely get in or out

[u.v.s.]

- Do you have Covid in North Korea?
- No, but actually yes.
- How many dead?
- Six.
- Six what?
- Six hundred.
- Six hundred what?
- Six hundred thousands :(((

[davidsworld]

that is not correct you can not not have had 1 case in over two years. with people movement its not an island or a lost tribe in the middle of now were.
really you can not believe it.

[joeyrutherford]

While it's highly probable that infection rates and deaths are being underreported (either intentionally or due to a lack of tests / accurate data), I could see how they're just now getting covid. It's not like they get a lot of international traffic.

[babeena_gt_]

Im confused. If no one is allowed in or out of that country, how did it get there

[obtuse]

Sounds like N Korea are now only two or three years behind the rest of the world. I would have put it at about forty or fifty years myself.