SEOUL: North Korea on Sunday reported 15 additional deaths from "fever" after the country recently announced its first-ever cases of Covid-19 and ordered nationwide lockdowns. Leader Kim Jong Un has said the outbreak has caused "great upheaval" in North Korea. North Korea confirmed Thursday that the highly contagious Omicron variant had been detected in the capital Pyongyang, with Kim ordering nationwide lockdowns. North Korea has a crumbling health system — one of the worst in the world — and no Covid vaccines, antiviral treatment drugs or mass testing capacity. Analysts have warned Kim could speed up his nuclear test plans in a bid to distract North Korea's population from a disastrous Covid-19 outbreak.

Source: Manila Times May 15, 2022 16:01 UTC