# Explainer-How N.Korea’s COVID-19 outbreak could ignite a major health crisis
Author:  Pal Sinha, Barnali 
Author URL: https://financedigest.com/author/pal-sinha-barnali
Published: 2022-05-13
Category: NEWS
Category URL: https://financedigest.com/category/news
Meta Title: North Korea COVID-19 Outbreak: Concerns Rise Over
Meta Description: Learn about North Korea's battle with an 'explosive' COVID-19 outbreak. Limited testing and no vaccine programme raise concerns. Stay informed.
URL: https://financedigest.com/explainer-how-n-koreas-covid-19-outbreak-could-ignite-a-major-health-crisishtml

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By Soo-hyang Choi and Josh Smith

SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea’s admission that it is battling an “explosive” COVID-19 outbreak has raised concerns that the virus could devastate a country with an under-resourced health system, limited testing capabilities, and no vaccine programme.

The isolated North confirmed on Thursday its first COVID-19 infections since the pandemic emerged more than two years ago, shifting to the “maximum emergency epidemic prevention system” and imposing a national lockdown. On Friday it [reported its first COVID-related death](https://www.financedigest.com/strong-nighttime-earthquake-jolts-sleeping-mexicans-at-least-one-death-reported.html "Strong nighttime earthquake jolts sleeping Mexicans, at least one death reported").

State media have not confirmed the total number of COVID-19 cases so far, but said that more than 350,000 people have shown fever symptoms since late April.

NO VACCINATION, [LIMITED TESTING](https://www.financedigest.com/rogue-robots-testing-the-limits-of-an-industrial-robots-security.html "Rogue Robots: Testing the Limits of an Industrial Robot’s Security")

Along with Eritrea, North Korea is one of only two countries that have not started a vaccination campaign against COVID-19, according to the [World Health](https://www.financedigest.com/breaking-the-stigma-men-and-mental-health-in-the-world-of-investments.html "Breaking the Stigma: Men and Mental Health in the World of Investments") Organization (WHO).

The COVAX global COVID-19 vaccine-sharing programme [cut the number of doses allocated for North Korea as the country](https://www.financedigest.com/netflix-cuts-prices-in-some-countries-to-boost-subscriptions-shares-drop.html "Netflix cuts prices in some countries to boost subscriptions, shares drop") has so far failed to arrange for any shipments, reportedly over international monitoring requirements.

Pyongyang also declined offers of [vaccines from China](https://www.financedigest.com/first-foreign-covid-vaccines-head-to-china-from-germany.html "First foreign COVID vaccines head to China from Germany").

The latest reported assessment of whether leader Kim Jong Un was vaccinated was from July 2021, when [South Korea’s](https://www.financedigest.com/south-korea-has-not-supplied-lethal-weapons-to-ukraine-president-says.html "South Korea has not supplied lethal weapons to Ukraine, president says") spy agency said there were no signs he had received a shot.

North Korea said [last year](https://www.financedigest.com/over-50-of-businesses-increased-their-cyber-security-budget-last-year-amid-attacks.html "Over 50% of businesses increased their cyber security budget last year amid attacks") it had developed its own polymerase chain reaction (PCR) equipment to conduct coronavirus tests, and Russia has said it had delivered small numbers of test kits.

But North Korea is heavily sanctioned over its [nuclear weapons](https://www.financedigest.com/russia-says-no-need-to-use-nuclear-weapons-in-ukraine.html "Russia says ‘no need’ to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine") programme, and since 2020 has maintained strict border lockdowns that have blocked many supplies.

Experts said that so far the [pace of testing suggests North Korea cannot handle the number of symptomatic cases it has reported](https://www.financedigest.com/property-investors-pick-up-the-pace-surrenden-invest-reports.html "Property investors pick up the pace: Surrenden Invest reports").

As of the end of March, only 64,207 of North Korea’s 25 million people had been [tested for COVID](https://www.financedigest.com/uk-not-planning-covid-testing-for-travellers-from-china.html "UK not planning COVID testing for travellers from China"), and all the results were negative, the latest WHO data shows.

North Korea has been [testing around](https://www.financedigest.com/the-adult-hemoglobinopathy-testing-market-to-throw-its-innovation-based-weight-around.html "The Adult Hemoglobinopathy Testing Market to throw its innovation-based weight around") 1,400 people each week. Assuming they were at their peak capacity, then they can perform 400 tests per day max – not nearly enough to test 350,000 people with symptoms,” said Harvard Medical School’s Kee Park, who has worked on [health care](https://www.financedigest.com/health-care-systems-show-moderate-decrease-in-liability-claims-find-correlation-between-worker-safety-and-patient-safety.html "Health Care Systems Show Moderate Decrease in Liability Claims, Find Correlation Between Worker Safety and Patient Safety") projects in North Korea.

It’s unclear whether North Korea has imposed any mask mandates since the pandemic began. Citizens were at times seen wearing masks, but also going mask-free at some major political events that [mobilized tens of thousands of people](https://www.financedigest.com/nearly-60-of-people-are-worried-about-their-data-being-used-by-mobile-apps-but-continue-to-download-as-many-as-100-apps-over-the-course-of-a-year.html "Nearly 60% of people are worried about their data being used by mobile apps, but continue to download as many as 100 apps over the course of a year").

Kim was shown for the first time wearing a mask at the [COVID response](https://www.financedigest.com/pfizer-biontechs-updated-covid-shot-shows-strong-response-against-bq-1-1.html "Pfizer/BioNTech’s updated COVID shot shows strong response against BQ.1.1") meeting on Thursday.

[MEDICAL SYSTEM](https://www.financedigest.com/the-medical-oxygen-systems-market-to-cling-to-the-digitization.html "The Medical Oxygen Systems Market to cling to the digitization") LACKS SUPPLIES

North Korea ranks last in the world for its ability to rapidly respond to and mitigate the spread of an epidemic, according to the latest [Global Health Security Index](https://www.financedigest.com/2017-global-payroll-complexity-index-reveals.html "2017 Global Payroll Complexity Index Reveals ") in December.

Although it has a high number of trained doctors and the ability to rapidly deploy and organise [staff in the face](https://www.financedigest.com/uk-airports-face-christmas-disruption-as-border-staff-to-strike.html "UK airports face Christmas disruption as border staff to strike") of emergencies, North Korea’s health care system is chronically under-resourced.

Every North Korean village has one or two clinics or hospitals, and most county hospitals are [equipped with X-ray](https://www.financedigest.com/advancements-in-x-ray-equipment-to-drive-the-medical-imaging-equipment-market.html "Advancements in X-Ray Equipment to drive the Medical Imaging Equipment Market") facilities, “though not necessarily functional ones,” the WHO said in its 2014-2019 Country Cooperation Strategy report.

Kwon Young-se, [South Korea’s](https://www.financedigest.com/ukraine-asks-for-south-korea-cybersecurity-aid-amid-russia-invasion.html "Ukraine asks for South Korea cybersecurity aid amid Russia invasion") new nominee to be the unification minister, responsible for inter-Korean ties, said at his confirmation hearing on Thursday the North is believed to lack even the most basic medical supplies such as painkillers and disinfectants.

An independent U.N. human rights investigator reported in March that the North’s [COVID-19 restrictions](https://www.financedigest.com/pandemic-restrictions-that-hampered-the-circulation-of-viruses-other-than-covid-19.html "Pandemic restrictions that hampered the circulation of viruses other than COVID-19"), including the border closings, could have prevented massive outbreaks “though likely at considerable cost to the wider health situation.

Chronic issues plague the country’s healthcare system, including under-investment in infrastructure, medical personnel, equipment and medicine, irregular power [supplies and inadequate water](https://www.financedigest.com/best-paying-jobs-in-water-supply.html "Best Paying Jobs In Water Supply") and sanitation facilities,” the report said.

POTENTIAL ‘NIGHTMARE’

The outbreak could pose a political challenge for the North’s authoritarian leader, [North Koreans who had defected to the South](https://www.financedigest.com/the-north-heads-south-to-mipim-en-masse-to-corner-new-real-estate-business-opportunities.html "The North heads South to MIPIM en masse to corner new real estate business opportunities") said.

“Kim ordered the mobilization of reserve medical supplies, which means in North Korea they will now use war reserves and that general hospitals have ran out of medicines,” said Thae Young-ho, a former North Korean diplomat who defected to the South in 2016 and is now a lawmaker.

Ji Seong-ho, another South Korean lawmaker who left the North in 2006, said the virus could [spread rapidly](https://www.financedigest.com/oil-prices-slide-as-rapid-omicron-spread-dims-fuel-demand-outlook.html "Oil prices slide as rapid Omicron spread dims fuel demand outlook"), due partly to the lack of a working medical system.

“An enormous number of people died during the (1990s) famine after typhoid broke out. It was a nightmare for the North Korean regime, and for the North Korean people,” Ji told a parliamentary session.

(Reporting by Soo-hyang Choi and Josh Smith; Additional reporting by Hyonhee Shin. Editing by Gerry Doyle)


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