Steph Deschamps / August 11, 2022
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Wednesday declared a resounding victory over Covid-19, after almost two weeks without any officially recorded cases.
Presiding over a meeting with health workers and scientists, Kim Jong Un welcomed the victory ... in the war against the malignant pandemic disease, according to the official KCNA news agency. The victory won by our people is a historic event that has once again shown the world the greatness of our state, the indomitable tenacity of our people and the beautiful national customs of which we are proud, the North Korean leader added, quoted by the agency. North Korea, one of the first countries in the world to close its borders in January 2020 after the outbreak of the virus in neighboring China, has long boasted of its ability to guard against the virus.
Pyongyang announced its first case of coronavirus on May 12 and Kim Jong Un has taken personal charge of the fight against the epidemic. Since July 29, Pyongyang has not reported any new cases. North Korea has recorded nearly 4.8 million infections since the end of April, with only 74 deaths, an official case fatality rate of 0.002%, according to KCNA. The country's hospitals are notoriously under-equipped, with few intensive care units and no treatment or vaccine for the coronavirus available, experts said. Neighboring South Korea, which has an efficient health system and a high vaccination rate among its population, has a mortality rate of 0.12%, according to official figures.