North Korea on Friday reported its first coronavirus (COVID-19) death a day after first acknowledging an outbreak of the virus.
State news agency KCNA reported six deaths from a wave of fast-spreading fever, one of whom had tested positive for the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
More than 350,000 people acquired a fever “in a short period of time” starting in April, according to the CDC, with at least 162,200 of them having since “fully cured.”
The cause of the fever “couldn’t be identified,” according to the CDC, and it “explosively spread nationally.”
Kim Jong Un, the North Korean leader, paid a visit to the state emergency epidemic prevention centre on Thursday to learn about the widespread spread of COVID-19, KCNA reported.
Pyongyang announced its first official coronavirus illnesses on Thursday, but did not specify the number of cases or where the infections occurred.
According to KCNA, 18,000 people had a fever on Thursday alone, and up to 187,800 people were isolated and getting treatment on Friday.
Before Thursday, the isolated authoritarian government had not reported any coronavirus infections to the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva.
