North Korea Reports Nearly 300,000 New Fever Cases on 14th... 15 Deaths

Employees of the Ryukjeon Department Store in Pyongyang, North Korea, are spraying disinfectant in the store as part of COVID-19 prevention measures. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] The number of new fever cases due to COVID-19 in North Korea has approached 300,000.

The North Korean National Emergency Anti-epidemic Command announced through the Korean Central News Agency on the 15th that from the evening of the 13th to 6 p.m. on the 14th, approximately 296,180 new fever patients appeared nationwide, and 15 people died.

As of 6 p.m. on the 14th, the total number of fever patients across North Korea since the end of last month is 820,620, of whom about 496,030 have recovered, and approximately 324,550 are receiving treatment, the agency reported. The cumulative death toll is 42.

North Korea stated, "Since the current epidemic crisis began, a large proportion of deaths have been due to careless use of medication, stemming from people's lack of awareness and understanding of the stealth Omicron variant viral infection and insufficient knowledge of treatment methods."