Image of North Korea mobilizing the army to fight the Covid-19 epidemic

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) today (May 17) published a photo of a soldier North Korea was mobilized to receive the task of supporting the prevention of Covid-19.

Previously, the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea assigned this task to military medics, while pharmacies were ordered to operate 24 hours.

According to KCNA, the North Korean military “urgently deployed powerful forces to all pharmacies in the city of Pyongyang and began to supply medicine” on May 16. The news agency added, “measures.” Urgent measures were taken to immediately correct deviations in the supply of medicines”, including the 24-hour operation of pharmacies in Pyongyang.

In addition, the country is also working to inform people about the “stealth Omicron variant so that they have a deep understanding of the scientific treatment methods and the rules of disease prevention”. About 11,000 medical officials, teachers and students were dispatched to “in-depth medical examination of all people and to “screen for cases of fever”.

More than 269,510 cases of fever symptoms were detected on the evening of May 16, bringing the total number of cases with fever symptoms to 1.48 million, the North’s National Emergency Disease Prevention and Control Agency said. while the number of deaths at the same time increased from 6 to 56.

Earlier, during an emergency meeting of the Politburo on May 15, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un acknowledged that the Covid-19 outbreak was causing “great upheaval” in the country. Kim also ordered a nationwide blockade from May 12 to prevent the spread of the disease.

KCNA said that a number of senior North Korean leaders visited pharmacies and drug administration offices to check the domestic supply of pharmaceuticals, after leader Kim Jong Un criticized the distribution of drugs. has not been as effective as expected. Officials have “called for the establishment of a more stringent order in the storage and handling of medical supplies, maintaining the principle of prioritization of needs and the convenience of the people over these supplies.” .

According to World Health Organization (WHO) data, as of the end of March, only 64,207 of the total population of 26 million people in North Korea had been tested for Covid-19, much lower than other countries. other. WHO officials also warned that the corona virus could spread quickly in North Korea, where there is still no vaccination program and the supply of Covid-19 vaccine is limited.

South Korean officials offered to open talks on May 16 to send medical supplies, including vaccines, masks and test kits, as well as technical cooperation to help with epidemic prevention and control. in Korea. But until today (May 17), Seoul has not received a response from Pyongyang.

The US State Department also expressed concern about the impact of the new Covid-19 outbreak on the people of North Korea, and proposed vaccine aid for the country.

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