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North Korea Covid-19 Outbreak 'Getting Worse', Says WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that the Covid-19 outbreak in North Korea is escalating, with limited access to critical data hindering a global analysis. Amid a surge in infections and deaths, concerns mount over the country's unvaccinated population and vulnerable healthcare system. North Korean officials have been urged by the WHO to provide additional information to aid in understanding and combating the crisis. The situation remains challenging, leaving experts struggling to assess the severity and impact of the outbreak.

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The World Health Organization is concerned that the situation with Covid-19 in North Korea is "getting worse, not better." The WHO has not received any sensitive information about the viral outbreak in North Korea, therefore Dr. Mike Ryan, the organization's emergency chief, requested additional information from the country's authorities. 

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Two years after stating North Korea was free of coronavirus, the country's authorities last month declared an "explosive" Covid-19 epidemic, which prompted Kim Jong-Un to proclaim state-wide lockdowns. More than three million coronavirus infections and six deaths occurred the day after the outbreak was officially recognised, with the death toll rising to 50 in four days and the infection rate reaching 1.2 million.

"Access to the raw data and the real-world situation is a major problem for us. When we don't have access to the required information, it is difficult to deliver a proper analysis to the globe "WHO spokesperson Ryan made the statement during a news conference on Wednesday.

Six more people have died because of suspected Covid-19 exposure, according to North Korea's latest report.

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North Korea's population is known to be mainly unvaccinated, and the WHO has already expressed concern about the impact of Covid-19 on the country's vulnerable health infrastructure, which could be overwhelmed if an outbreak of Omicron and its sub-variants occurs.

Vaccines for the Covid-19 strain had been made available by the World Health Organization (WHO) at least three times to North Korean officials, according to Ryan.

In recent days, Kim Jong Un and other top officials have been discussing altering tough anti-coronavirus measures, according to state media reports, while the country's first Covid-19 outbreak is supposedly slowing down.

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After the Omicron epidemic was admitted, North Korea's Politburo meeting on Sunday discussed the possibility of loosening stringent food and economic restrictions imposed as a result of its concerns.

North Korea has claimed to have managed Covid-19 without extensive vaccination, lockdowns or medications — a considerably lower death rate than seen anywhere else in the world.

It has been estimated that 3.7 million persons in North Korea have a fever or are suspected of having the Covid-19 virus. However, it provided very little information on the severity of the sickness or the number of persons who have recovered, complicating attempts by public health specialists to understand the scope of the outbreak.

It is difficult for the United States to make an accurate risk assessment of the current situation in North Korea, which is why Ryan pleaded for a more open approach to help the people of the nation.

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