WHO will help North Korea against covid-19 0:34
(Reuters) --
The World Health Organization (WHO) has questioned North Korea's claims about progress made in its fight against a Covid-19 outbreak, saying it believes the situation is getting worse, not better, amid the absence of independent data.
North Korean state media say the wave of Covid-19 has subsided, after the number of people with a fever topped 390,000 about two weeks ago.
Pyongyang has never directly confirmed how many people have tested positive for the virus, but experts suspect figures released by government-controlled media are insufficient, making it difficult to assess the scale of the situation.
"We assume the situation is getting worse, not better," WHO emergencies chief Michael Ryan said during a video briefing on Wednesday.
Nearly 15 million people have died from the covid-19 pandemic, according to the WHO, nearly three times as many as reported.
He said that the WHO did not have access to any classified information beyond the figures published by state media.
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"We have real problems accessing the raw data and the real situation on the ground," Ryan said, adding that the WHO is working with neighboring countries such as South Korea and China to try to get a better picture.
The WHO offered help on multiple occasions, including vaccines and supplies, he said.
North Korea reported that 96,610 more people have fevers amid its nationwide lockdown aimed at containing the first confirmed outbreak of covid-19 in the impoverished country, state news agency KCNA said on Thursday.
He did not mention if there were any new deaths.
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The KCNA said provinces were "stepping up" their anti-epidemic campaigns, including enforcing some coastal lockdowns and blockades, increasing the production of medicines and medical supplies, and carrying out disinfection work.
However, key jobs such as farming continued.
North Korea's Prime Minister Kim Tok Hun has inspected a pair of pharmaceutical factories, amid a push to bring the country's pharmaceutical industry to a "new higher level," including meeting international standards, KCNA reported.
"Sufficient production and supply of medicines are a prerequisite to protect people's life and health in the current rigorous anti-epidemic campaign," he said.
North KoreaCovid-19
