The World Health Organization is preparing to send COVID-19 medical supplies to North Korea, signaling that the North is loosening one of the world's toughest pandemic border restrictions in order to accept outside assistance.
WHO Started To Send COVID-19 Medical Supplies
In a weekly monitoring report, the WHO claimed it has begun shipping critical COVID-19 medical supplies to North Korea via the Chinese port of Dalian for "strategic storage and future dispatch." Officials from the World Health Organization did not immediately reply to queries for additional information on Thursday, including what those goods were and if they had arrived in North Korea, according to a published article in MSN News.
North Korea has severely limited cross-border travel and commerce over the last two years, despite the burden on its already devastated economy, describing its anti-virus effort as a matter of "national survival." In August, United Nations human rights inspectors demanded clarification from the North's leadership on accusations that it instructed soldiers to kill on sight any trespassers who crossed its borders in defiance of the epidemic closure.
While North Korea has yet to disclose a single case of COVID-19, foreign scientists are skeptical that the country is immune to the disease that has infected virtually every other country in the world, according to a published article in KTAR News.
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North Korea Tests More Than 40,000 People for COVID-19
The North Korea has informed WHO that it has tested 40,700 individuals for the COVID-19 and that all of the tests have come back negative. According to the WHO study, those tested in the past week comprised 94 individuals with influenza-like illnesses or other symptoms and 573 health care professionals.
After rejecting certain foreign COVID-19 vaccinations provided via a United Nations-backed immunization program, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un instructed authorities to conduct a stronger anti-virus campaign in "their style," according to a report published in US News.
North Korea requested that their allocation of approximately 3 million Sinovac injections be delivered to severely impacted nations instead, according to UNICEF, which procures and distributes vaccines on behalf of the COVAX distribution program. The North Korean health ministry stated it would continue to engage with COVAX about future vaccinations, according to UNICEF.
Some experts believe the North is seeking more effective vaccines in light of concerns about the Sinovac vaccine's efficacy and that the North may also have legal responsibilities and reporting problems with COVAX.
North Korea Continues To Claim Zero Cases of COVID-19
In a published article in The National Interest, throughout the pandemic, North Korea's government has claimed that there have been no instances of COVID-19 in the country. Although few individuals who follow public health or North Korea believe this, the government has said it many times. Despite the fact that North Korea shares a border with China, which has been struck particularly hard by the virus, this is the case.
According to NK News, the North Korean government stated in its most recent submission to the World Health Organization that it tested 1,368 individuals between August 27 and September 9 and found no positive instances.
