Nearly three months after announcing his first case of coronavirus, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un proclaimed, on Wednesday August 10, a "shining victory" over Covid-19.
No cases have been officially registered in the country since July 29.
Chairing a meeting with health personnel and scientists, Kim Jong-un welcomed this "victory (...) in the war against the malignant pandemic disease", according to the official news agency KCNA.
"The victory won by our people is a historic event that once again showed the world the greatness of our state, the indomitable tenacity of our people and the fine national customs of which we are proud," added the North Korean leader. , quoted by the agency.
North Korea, one of the first countries in the world to close its borders in January 2020 after the virus emerged in neighboring China, has long boasted of its ability to guard against the virus.
An official fatality rate of 0.002%
Pyongyang announced its first case of the coronavirus on May 12, and Kim Jong-un has taken the fight against the epidemic into his own hands.
He notably ordered a national confinement, his population not being vaccinated, and deployed the army to help fight against the coronavirus.
The country's hospitals are notoriously under-equipped, with few intensive care units and no coronavirus treatment or vaccine available, experts say.
The North Korean health system was thus ranked 193rd out of 195 countries by a study by the American University Johns Hopkins last year.
North Korea has recorded nearly 4.8 million infections since late April, with just 74 deaths, an official case fatality rate of 0.002%, according to KCNA.
Neighboring South Korea, which has an efficient health system and a high vaccination rate among its population, has a mortality rate of 0.12% by comparison, according to official figures.
With AFP
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