Addressing a gathering of health experts and scientists, Kim declared “victory in the war against the epidemic,” the official news agency reported.
The isolated country, which has maintained a strict coronavirus lockdown since the outbreak began, confirmed the Ómicron outbreak in the capital Pyongyang in May and activated a “maximum emergency epidemic prevention system”.
North Korea refers to “flu patients” rather than “Covid patients” in case reports, apparently due to a lack of testing capacity.
The state agency reported nearly 4.8 million “flu” infections and just 74 deaths, for an official death rate of 0.002%. No new cases have been reported since July 29.
Dealing with the pandemic is an “unprecedented miracle in the history of world public health,” Kim said to thunderous applause, according to KCNA.
“The success of our people is a historic event.”
Kim’s “High Fever”
According to another KCNA report, Kim Yo Jong, Kim’s powerful sister, said the leader himself was ill at the time of the explosion.
Kim “had a high fever during the days of this isolated war, but he couldn’t lie down for a moment as he thought about the people he was responsible for,” his sister said.
It is the first time that North Korea’s leader – whose health has been under unusually close scrutiny by investigators – has been diagnosed with the coronavirus.
