SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea reported some 79,100 more people with fever symptoms and one additional death amid its first-confirmed coronavirus outbreak, state media KCNA said on Saturday.
The reclusive country has been waging a battle against an unprecedented COVID-19 wave since declaring a state of emergency and imposing a nationwide lockdown last month, fuelling concerns over a lack of vaccines and medical and food supplies.
The total number of fever patients compiled across the country since late April neared 4 million, and the death toll rose by one to 71, KCNA said, using data from the state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters.
KCNA has said the epidemic has shown signs subsiding, after daily tallies of fever cases topped 390,000 two weeks ago.
North Korea has never confirmed how many people have tested positive for COVID-19, apparently lacking testing supplies. But experts have said the publicised numbers could be underreported, and that could make it difficult to assess the actual scale of the situation.
(Reporting by Hyonhee Shin; Editing by Chris Reese and Diane Craft)
