It's been 19 days and a week since North Korea revealed that it had first confirmed a person infected with the new coronavirus.
North Korean leadership is aiming to contain the infection through thorough urban blockade and human-wave tactics, but the cumulative number of fever is close to 2 million, which is about 8% of the population, and refuses to provide vaccines. Among them, there are concerns about the further spread of infection.
North Korea announced on the 12th of this month that the Omicron strain of the new coronavirus has flowed into the country and the first infected person has been confirmed.
According to the announcement on the 19th, which was a week after that, more than 262,000 new symptoms of fever were confirmed in the day until 6 pm on the 18th, and one died.
The number of people with fever per day had been on a downward trend for two consecutive days until the 17th, but it has started to increase again.
In addition, the cumulative number of fever since the end of last month is more than 1.978,000, which is about 8% of the population.
Under these circumstances, General Secretary Kim Jong-un said, "It can be said that it is a great turmoil since the founding of the country," and expressed a strong sense of crisis. We are blocking counties and the like.
In addition, nearly 3,000 military doctors have been dispatched to hundreds of pharmacies in the capital Pyongyang to supply medicines 24 hours a day, and more than 1.4 million doctors and medical university students are inspected and treated. We are aiming to contain the infection by human wave tactics, such as being mobilized by Pyongyang.
However, North Korea is said to have a weak medical system, and the Workers' Party of Korea newspaper on the 19th admits that "we lack advanced medical facilities and the health sector is not fully developed." ..
In addition, while the North Korean leadership refuses to provide vaccines from abroad, South Korean intelligence agencies have indicated that the peak of the infection will be from the end of this month to the beginning of next month, and further spread of the infection will occur. I am concerned.
Calling on South Korean private organization North Korea to accept support
Several South Korean private organizations supporting North Korea held a press conference in Seoul on the 19th, totaling 10 million dollars, including test kits, medicines, and protective clothing for medical professionals, about 12 in Japanese yen. It has been revealed that it is preparing to provide support on the scale of 190 million yen.
Regarding support for North Korea, the South Korean government has asked the North Korean side to send a notice containing a proposal for working-level talks, but so far North Korea has decided whether to receive the notice. Has not been revealed.
One of the representatives of the group at the press conference said, "The North and South must work together to overcome this difficulty. The North should open a tightly closed gate," calling for prompt acceptance of support.