North Korea reports first ever COVID-19 cases | DW News

North Korea on Thursday officially confirmed its first COVID-19 outbreak and ordered a national lockdown, state news agency KCNA reported. The isolated nation has never admitted to having a single case of the coronavirus. The government has imposed a rigid blockade of its borders since the start of the pandemic in 2020. The state news report said a sub-variant of the highly transmissible omicron variant had been detected in the capital, Pyongyang. It did not provide details of case numbers or possible sources of infection. The samples of the infected people were collected on May 8, it said. "There has been the biggest emergency incident in the country, with a hole in our emergency quarantine front, that has been kept safely over the past two years and three months since February 2020," KCNA said. A meeting with top Workers' Party officials, including leader Kim Jong Un, was held, where it was decided that a "maximum emergency" virus control system would be implemented, the news agency reported. Meanwhile, South Korea's presidential office said it was willing to provide humanitarian assistance to the North.

According to KCNA, Kim ordered all cities and counties to "strictly lock down" to prevent the virus from spreading and said emergency reserve medical supplies would be mobilized. South Korean and Chinese media had reported that North Koreans had been advised to stay home, without referring to the COVID-19 virus. Although North Korea has denied having any coronavirus infections in the country prior to this, experts have cast doubts over these claims. Pyongyang has declined shipments of vaccines from the COVAX global COVID-19 vaccine-sharing program and the Sinovac Biotech vaccine from China.

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[roqsteady]

Kim should consult Putin on the best long tables to aquire.

[Pilotpaulie]

Covid is the least of those poor peoples trouble.

[omidpourhossein]

The ones that constantly throw around threats tend to do so because they’re struggling the most. Russia are really echoing North Korea and their rhetoric at the moment.

[record.retake.repeat]

Statistically impossible that this country never had a single case from the start.

[chowfun]

Isn’t the whole population of North Korea in perpetual lockdown anyway? This isn’t a big leap from normal life.

[Cristoforo]

The first case, or the first reported case?

Big difference.

[GenerationTech]

In world war z they removed everyone’s teeth and retreated to the bunkers I believe they survived ;)

[MrWhite-ygyk]

I'm sure that COVID is no match for North Korea's physically fit and nutrient dense population. Not to mention the wealth of government aid.

[Skenkie]

The have been on lockdown for 100 years 🤪

[liltiachan]

Kim Jong Un:Wait?Covid 19 is Real???
The Whole world after 2 years:First time???

[GajahMengaumTheBruce]

Only in North Korea

Thursday 1 case
Friday 0 case

Guess what happened to the 1 case?

[MesoScale]

Dear god, please let him shot another PR video, this time with lab coat, test tubes, oh and don't forget shaded safety goggles!

[KishoreKumar-mbin]

What makes it deference for the peoples of the North Korea this country is permanently locked down from 50 years

[WompaStompaCyn]

I'm just looking forward to hearing how it's America's fault.

[rechj]

how do you lockdown a country thats already locked down for 60 years?

[mollyjackson]

I was talking to a friend of mine about this, and she said "they could literally loose more than half of their population" and I didn't even realize that at first. This is scary for them. They've been thru enough 🥺

[dfa]

They have been in lock down since the early 1950's.

[twincitybulldogclub]

I hope covid will free its people from the dictators of N Korea.

[williamcooper]

No NATO or European countries should assist North Korea in any of their problems. China alone and it's proxies should make donations. No nation that threatens the world with nuclear weapons should find a caring handout; only isolation and distrust.

[Happycamper]

Hopefully the residents survive. Maybe this will give them a chance to escape.