SAWT BEIRUT INTERNATIONAL

| 10 February 2025, Monday |

North Korea tells WHO no detected COVID-19 cases since June 10

North Korea has informed the World Health Organization it conducted more than 30,000 PCR tests through June 10 but has yet to find a single infection.

The WHO said in a monitoring report Tuesday that North Korea’s testing figures included 733 people who were tested during June 4-10, of which 149 were with influenza-like illnesses or severe respiratory infections.

Experts widely doubt North Korea’s claim that it has not had a single case of the virus, given its poor health infrastructure and porous border with China, its major ally and economic lifeline.

Describing its anti-virus efforts as a “matter of national existence,” the North has banned tourists, jetted out diplomats and severely restricted cross-border traffic and trade.

The self-imposed lockdown has caused further burdens on an economy already battered by decades of mismanagement and crippling US-led sanctions over the country’s nuclear weapons program.

    Source:
  • AFP