North Korea - 2019-nCov (new coronavirus) - N. Korean tests positive for COVID-19 in China - zero officially confirmed cases - Emergency declared in K

[Treyfish]

[h=1]WHO to Meet with Officials of N. Korean Mission in Geneva on COVID-19[/h] Update: 2020-02-19 09:18:04

The World Health Organization(WHO) plans to arrange a meeting with the North Korean mission in Geneva, Switzerland, to discuss the outbreak of the novel coronavirus or COVID-19.

Michael Ryan, executive director of WHO's health emergencies program, said in a press briefing on Tuesday in Geneva that the WHO will soon meet with the officials.

Ryan said there is no reason to believe North Korea has specific issues at the moment, but the authorities are concerned about the virus outbreak as are other governments. ...:tiphat:http://world.kbs.co.kr/service/news_view.htm?lang=e&Seq_Code=151424

 

[Pathfinder]

Coronavirus in N Korea could be 'much more lethal' than in China

Experts say outbreak in North Korea could pose great risks to a malnourished people already suffering from poor health.

by Joseph Stepansky
24 minutes ago
...
And in a bid to limit the spread of the virus, Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un's government has effectively halted all flights and trains to China, imposed screening for anyone coming into the capital, and subjected all foreigners, including diplomats and aid workers, to a month-long quarantine - twice the length imposed by many other countries.

North Korea has also closed its 1,500km-long land border with China, a country that accounts for about 90 percent of trade with Pyongyang...

But despite these measures, one South Korean media outlet that covers North Korea says several people who exhibited symptoms similar to the coronavirus infection, known as COVID-19, have died in recent days. Those reports could not be independently confirmed.
...
In 2019, North Korea ranked last out of 195 countries on its ability to rapidly respond to and mitigate the spread of an epidemic, according to the Global Health Security Index published by US-based John Hopkins University, while ranking 193 overall on its health security and capabilities.
...
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/02/coronavirus-korea-lethal-china-200219132141267.html

 

[Treyfish]

Chosun Central Broadcasting Corporation said on the 24th, "Isolated more than 380 foreigners nationwide, quarantine and medical observation of foreign business travelers, contacts, and people with abnormal symptoms, and medical checkup at all units. Is there. "



Foreigners in quarantine appear to have visited North Korea for trade or diplomacy in Pyongyang.



According to the broadcasting station, Pyongan North also strengthened the quarantine according to the regional characteristics across the border with China. "More than 3,000 medical observers are actively following the power guarantee, material guarantee, heating guarantee, and water guarantee to ensure that there are no inconveniences in life." Said.
:tiphat:https://translate.googleusercontent...700302&usg=ALkJrhjB4dEk88PuHCePDd4wHo-ZTUNcvQ

 

[Treyfish]

SEOUL, Feb. 24 (Yonhap) -- The unification ministry said Monday it will postpone the resumption of a tour program to the inter-Korean truce village of Panmunjom as a precaution as the number of new coronavirus cases in South Korea has been rising sharply.

The tours to Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which separates the two Koreas, had been scheduled to take place from Feb. 26-28 for Seoul-based diplomats, displaced people who hail from North Korea and separated families.

But the program has now been called off due to coronavirus concerns, the ministry said.. "postponed until after April ...:tiphat:https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20200224008900325?section=nk/nk

 

[Treyfish]

Seoul: Yonhap News) Reporter Chung Byun-na = While North Korea is pushing for intensive prevention measures to prevent the new coronavirus infection (Corona 19), it is also forbidden for residents to gather in public places including restaurants.

The Labor Newspaper of the Labor Party newspaper said on the 25th, "Do not slow down your momentary alerts, but keep your defense business slower." In a time when the whole country is under constant tension, many people gathered in restaurants and other public places. Actions like lifting should be strictly prohibited. ”

The newspaper noted that he was wary of gathering in public places abroad, explaining that "the virus was to prevent disasters beyond control of the network."..:tiphat:https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20200225029900504?section=nk/news/all

 

[Treyfish]

[h=1]North Korea Quarantines 1,300 Suspected Coronavirus Patients in Large Pyongyang Hotel[/h] 2020-02-25
Authorities in North Korea have isolated about 1,300 residents in a makeshift quarantine station at a hotel in the capital Pyongyang, as worries about the possible spread of the novel coronavirus intensify in the isolated country....“Those who cough or have a fever are classified as suspected coronavirus patients,” a Pyongyang official told RFA’s Korean Service Saturday.

“The suspected patients will be closely monitored by the emergency quarantine committee of Pyongyang over the next 20 days,” the official said.

“Currently the number of suspected patients is around 1,300. Another 500 have already been discharged because their symptoms have eased,” the official added.

“[They] are either quarantined in solitary rooms or shared rooms, depending on [the severity] of their symptoms. They are receiving medical treatment from those doctors at the Ministry of Public Health, who are a part of Pyongyang’s emergency quarantine committee,” said the official....RFA reported Friday that a hospital in Chongjin, the largest city in North Hamgyong province cremated 12 patients, claiming they had died of pneumonia or the flu. Residents near the hospital suspect that the 12 might have actually been infected with the coronavirus even though North Korea has not officially reported a single confirmed case.

Many, including South Korean media outlets, have said that it is unlikely that the virus has failed to reach North Korea.

A second source in Pyongyang told RFA that the emergency quarantine has been kicked into high-gear as reports of deaths due to secondary infections trickle in daily from China to the Central Committee (of the Korean Workers’ Party)....:tiphat:https://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/nk-coronavirus-pyongyang-hotel-02252020033301.html

 

[Treyfish]

[h=3]Strengthening the quarantine prevention business with infectious diseases[/h] In accordance with the country's major measures in our country, a quarantine project is being developed to prevent the spread of new coronavirus infection.
All radio routes through which borders, land, sea and air can enter new coronavirus infections have been completely blocked.
Hygiene and defense projects are being carried out as a whole-military movement, and the business of urgently supplying medicines, test reagents and other necessary medicines is well underway...:tiphat:http://www.minzu.rep.kp/2020/02/bamgyoksaep/

 

[Pathfinder]

Translation Google

North Korea isolates 380 foreigners, no new cases of coronary pneumonia reported

Time: 26 February 2020 Source: Global Times micro-channel public number Author: Mang 9 morning in the text editor: Mengzi Wei

Since the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia, North Korea has attached great importance to this and has adopted a series of epidemic prevention measures. Yonhap News Agency, Kyodo News Agency, and many other media quoted the North Korean Central Radio report on February 24 that North Korea has isolated about 380 foreign nationals across the country and strengthened foreign business travellers, related contacts, and people with abnormal symptoms Up medical observation and isolation.

It is reported that North Korean media did not specify the identity of the foreigners who were quarantined, but speculated that it may be diplomats of various countries in Pyongyang or personnel visiting the DPRK for trade. Yonhap News Agency said on the 24th that no new cases of coronary pneumonia have been reported in North Korea. North Korean official media reports also said that Ping An Road and other areas bordering China have further strengthened prevention and control of epidemic prevention, and have done a good job in providing power, heating, and water supply to solve the inconvenience caused by the quarantine life of more than 3,000 people under medical observation. .

Since February 1st, foreign personnel can only go to shops in the embassy area of ​​Pyongyang to buy daily necessities, eat at restaurants in the embassy area, other restaurants and shops in Pyongyang are not open to foreign personnel, and personnel from all countries in North Korea are required Try to avoid direct contact with North Korean personnel. If you have any questions, you can contact by phone. "Global Times" reporter's apartment for foreigners, since February 1, every morning and afternoon, North Korean personnel wearing protective clothing to measure the temperature from door to door, and inspection and quarantine staff at the door of the embassy area every day. North Korean service personnel at shops, hospitals and other facilities in the embassy area also temporarily reside in the embassy area until isolation is lifted. According to a reporter's understanding, other foreign-related hotels in Pyongyang that have been occupied by foreigners have also been closed and quarantined since February 1. Foreigners staying in hotels can only move in the hotel until the quarantine is lifted on March 1.

http://www.bjd.com.cn/a/202002/26/WS5e55aa12e4b05d1eff0b2e88.html

 

[Treyfish]

[h=1]UN Security Council Restricts Sanctions Against North Korean Corona “Permission to export medical equipment immediately”[/h] 2020-02-28 10:58
The United Nations Security Council has loosened some sanctions on North Korea to help "humanely" respond to North Korea's new coronavirus infection (Corona 19).

According to AFP, German Ambassador Christophe Hoisgen, the chairman of the UN Security Council's North Korea Sanctions Committee, said after the Security Council meeting that “the meeting discussed coronavirus issues. The coronavirus issue was discussed and the committee immediately had given permission to export the equipment. ”
Ambassador Hoisgen also said, "The problem is that North Korea has closed its borders...:tiphat:http://www.donga.com/news/Main/article/all/20200228/99920735/1

 

[Treyfish]

[h=2]Corona 19 is called North Korea's acute pneumonia[/h] [h=3]North Korea's Ministry of Health clarifies border closure policy until it develops treatment for injured corona
-It is said that it is ordering urgent production of antiviral medicine and hastening the development of medicine.
-Corona in North Korea called acute pneumonia19. Called the dead family station, and funeral...However, despite North Korea's multifaceted actions against Corona 19, the news of Corona 19 proliferation continues to be heard.



The Libertarian Post, a correspondent in China, said, "I just talked to North Korea, but I didn't say corona. The North Korean authorities called acute pneumonia.

In addition, it is clear that there is a strict distinction between acute cold and acute pneumonia and that many people are dying from acute pneumonia.:tiphat:https://translate.googleusercontent...700302&usg=ALkJrhiFqkgBbejdPyFopRDwORROXMie-Q[/h]

 

[Shiloh]

Source: https://news.mb.com.ph/2020/02/29/n...erious-consequences-if-virus-breaks-out-kcna/


North Korea’s Kim guides military drills, warns ‘serious consequences’ if virus breaks out: KCNA
Published February 29, 2020, 7:37 AM
By Reuters

...In a separate dispatch, KCNA said Kim has also convened a meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party’s powerful politburo where a stricter enforcement of “top-class anti-epidemic steps” was discussed to prevent the spread of the virus.

“In case the infectious disease spreading beyond control finds its way into our country, it will entail serious consequences,” Kim was quoted as telling the meeting. “No special cases must be allowed within the state anti-epidemic system.”

He instructed the officials to “seal off all the channels and space through which the infectious disease may find its way, and strengthen check-up, test and quarantine,” KCNA added...

 

[Treyfish]

[h=1]Defectors: North Korea Military May Become Hotbed of Coronavirus Infections[/h] By Eunjung Cho
March 04, 2020 06:14 PM With a million personnel, the Korean People's Army is among the largest in the world.
It's also cited as one of the most vulnerable groups of people to a possible coronavirus outbreak in North Korea.

"A coronavirus outbreak in the military will be Kim Jong Un's biggest fear," said Lee Unggil, former member of North Korea's special forces "Storm Corps" or the 11th Corps.

During a forum Wednesday at Washington's Hudson Institute about the lives of North Korean soldiers, Lee explained that the military's conditions are prone to a massive outbreak.

Crowded barracks

Lee explained the North Korean soldiers live in crowded barracks with poor living conditions so diseases spread fast.

"In early 2000s, there was SARS [Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome] outbreak in the military. North Korean soldiers are very malnourished and their immune system is weak, so many people died. Bu...:tiphat:https://www.voanews.com/science-hea...-korea-military-may-become-hotbed-coronavirus

 

[Treyfish]

[h=1]N.K. leader sends letter to Moon to support S. Korea's fight against coronavirus[/h] 17:18 March 05, 2020
SEOUL, March 5 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has sent a personal letter to President Moon Jae-in to express his support for South Korea to overcome the outbreak of the new coronavirus, Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday.

In the letter, delivered to Moon on Wednesday, Chairman Kim consoled South Koreans fighting the virus and wished for their good health, according to Yoon Do-han, Cheong Wa Dae's senior secretary for public communication.

"The North's leader said he will quietly support South Korea's fight against COVID-19 and showed his constant friendship and trust toward Moon," Yoon said, adding that Kim expressed concerns about Moon's health.

In return, Moon sent a letter to his North Korean counterpart, expressing his gratitude....:tiphat:https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20200305008652315?section=national/politics

 

[Treyfish]

[h=2]North Korean Wuhan Pneumonia Infectious Truth[/h]

• Kim Hyung-soo [email]kimhs312@gmail.com[/email]
• Registration 2020.03.05 13:51:27

• In March, the North Korean authorities, which insisted that there was no single Wuhan pneumonia infected in the media, seemed to imply that there was a person infected with Corona-19 in North Korea in March. The term "monitored by the North Korean authorities" is the first term used since the founding of North Korea.

Kim Mo, a North Korean defector from North Korea's medical-related institution, recently read about North Korea's pneumonia pneumonia news, news sources in North Korea, and the North Korean authorities' press release on the medical surveillance targets. Claimed to be....

...Democratic Chosun, a North Korean government daily, said in an article explaining the law on epidemic prevention, “Infectious diseases prevention agencies and organizations should quarantine infectious patients within 6 hours and suspected infectious diseases within infectious hospitals or quarantine wards within 24 hours. "Introduced the guidelines of the North Korean authorities."..
North Korea's medical surveillance targets 7,000 people

....On February 24, the North Korean authorities mentioned that there were about 3,000 medical surveillance subjects in Pyongan-buk-do, and on March 1, 2,420 and 1,500 'medical surveillance' in South-Pyongan and Gangwon-do were published as labor newspaper articles. It is said that there is a target person. As a result, the total number of medical supervisors is close to 7,000.

In the newspaper article, "People, regimes, working groups, institutions, and enterprises in Pyongan Province are well-prepared to secure food and firewood, so that more than 2,420 medical supervisors can participate in the screening program without any inconvenience. I'm d...:tiphat:https://translate.googleusercontent...700302&usg=ALkJrhhJvr3v434IG_e2y6990QKLm8TzXQ

 

[Treyfish]

[h=2]Evacuation flight canceled for foreign diplomats in North Korea[/h]
From CNN’s Will Ripley in Tokyo
Dozens of foreign diplomats who had been quarantined in Pyongyang, North Korea over coronavirus fears have been told their planned evacuation flight on Friday is canceled, a source inside the country told CNN's Will Ripley.

The source agreed to speak on the condition of anonymity, given the extreme sensitivity of the current situation.

The source says Friday’s flight “was canceled by the Russians for unknown reasons.”

It’s unclear if -- or when -- a new flight will happen...:tiphat:https://edition.cnn.com/asia/live-news/coronavirus-outbreak-03-05-20-intl-hnk/index.html

 

[Treyfish]

[h=2]Germany Embassy in Pyongyang shuts down, evacuates all staff from N. Korea amid coronavirus concerns[/h] Mar.10,2020 17:03

The Germany Embassy in North Korea has temporarily shut down and all its staff have left North Korea due to concerns over the novel coronavirus, according to the German press agency DPA. According to a Mar. 9 report by the DPA, the German Federal Foreign Office announced that all staff at the Germany Embassy in Pyongyang have left North Korea and arrived in Vladivostok, Russia...:tiphat:http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_northkorea/931975.html

 

[Treyfish]

[h=1]Foreign diplomats exit Pyongyang amid virus fight
By Choi Si-young
Mar 10, 2020 - 17:22[/h] Dozens of diplomats in North Korea shuttered offices in Pyongyang and left the country Monday, following weeks of tight quarantine restrictions on diplomatic missions there to contain the novel coronavirus.

Yet to report a single infection, North Korea has enforced strong quarantine measures, closing borders with China, where the epidemic started, and confining foreign nationals, including diplomats, to their own premises.

North Korea lifted the month long quarantine on foreign diplomats on March 2.

The “forced quarantine” was one of the “disproportionate” anti-virus measures that prompted the temporary shutdown of the embassy, Germany’s Foreign Ministry said, blaming Pyongyang for leaving no choice but to “bring back the staff.”

France and Switzerland followed suit, closing their diplomatic missions and relocating staff there to Vladivostok, Russia, the same day.

France’s Foreign Ministry said the “drastic containment measures” impeded the work of the French Cooperation Office in Pyongyang, where it maintains an exchange office instead of an embassy.

Switzerland suspended its Cooperation Office in Pyongyang as well, claiming the office’s humanitarian assistance and peace promotion efforts were further challenged by North Korea’s border lockdown.

“It’s fundamentally about the question of access inside North Korea and the way that the North Korea...:tiphat:http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20200310000713

 

[Treyfish]

[h=1]What happens in North Korea might not stay in North Korea[/h] [h=5]BY THOMAS CYNKIN[/h]
....Despite North Korea’s official statements that there have been zero cases of COVID-19 infections within its borders, such assurances fly in the face of reality, given the dramatic and tragic coronavirus outbreaks in neighboring countries, particularly China — Ground Zero for the epidemic. North Korea shares a long and, in segments, highly porous border with China, which it depends on for 90 percent of its trade and, until recently, a flood of Chinese tourists — estimated conservatively at over 350,000 in 2019.

Moreover, numerous North Korean indentured workers in China — estimated at around 50,000 — were obliged by U.N. sanctions to return to North Korea at the end of 2019. It is highly dubious that all complied, given lax Chinese enforcement. That said, China has asserted that it is in full compliance with U.N. sanctions, and any workers returning to North Korea represent another potential source of contagion. Moreover, North Korean workers in China are reportedly not required to get a work permit if they stay under 90 days, compounding the potential contagion problem through frequent turnover.

An additional reason for skepticism about North Korea’s claims about zero COVID-19 cases is the pattern of Pyongyang’s public deception as to other outbreaks in the past. During the 2009 swine flu (H1N1) outbreak, Pyongyang initially denied that there were any cases within its borders, despite reports from international relief officials to the contrary.

Now, various South Korean media sources have reported numerous coronavirus cases in North Korea, with estimates running as high as hundreds dead and thousands more in quarantine, despite Pyongyang’s insistent denial....:tiphat:https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinio...orea-might-not-stay-north-korea/#.XmdlA2hKhQI

 

[Treyfish]

[h=1]:tiphat:Bag of salt..
Sources: Almost 200 soldiers have died from COVID-19[/h]
Sources report that the military is not cremating corpses because of the sheer number of bodies

By
Jeong Tae Joo
-
2020.03.09 3:00pm
Around 200 North Korean soldiers from several branches of the military have died from symptoms that may have been caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), Daily NK has learned.

A Daily NK source inside North Korea’s military reported on Mar. 6 that the military’s medical corps had sent a report detailing the impact of COVID-19 on the country’s soldiers to military leaders.

The report stated that 180 soldiers had died in January and February and that approximately 3,700 soldiers are currently under quarantine. According to the report, the soldiers who had died were predominantly stationed on or around the Sino-North Korean border in North Pyongan, Chagang, Ryanggang, and North Hamgyong provinces.

The report came after the military’s leadership had ordered hospitals serving each branch of the military to collect data on the number of soldiers who had died after suffering from high fevers stemming from pneumonia, tuberculosis, asthma or colds. Military leaders also asked the hospitals to report on the numbers of those currently in quarantine.

The report has reportedly caused an uproar in North Korea’s military establishment and has led military leaders to take several measures to prevent the spread of what appears to be COVID-19 infections.

TOO MANY CORPSES TO CREMATE

One key measure the military has implemented is for corpses to be “thoroughly disinfected.” This contrasts with the North Korean government’s order that all hospitals cremate all corpses.

“There’s just too many bodies [to be cremated in the military] and they didn’t want news [of the cremations] to leak outside the military,” Daily NK’s military source explained.
“I haven’t heard of corpses being cremated in military hospitals,” he continued, adding, “The military leadership likely believes that suddenly asking the hospitals to cremate all the bodies would create a big headache for medical staff.”

The authorities have also ordered military hospitals to disinfect the quarantined areas where sick soldiers are being hospitalized on a daily basis. The military hospitals are reportedly spraying “methyl alcohol” (methanol) to disinfect the facilities....:tiphat:https://www.dailynk.com/english/sources-almost-200-soldiers-have-died-covid-19/

 

[Treyfish]

:tiphat:Speaking of salt

READILY AVAILABLE DISINFECTANT: “SALT WATER”

Sources in the province also reported that when local workers asked for sterilization products to disinfect surfaces at their workplaces disease control officials told them to just use water mixed with salt.

“Disease control officials told us that consuming ‘sufficient’ quantities of salt will help defend against the spread of infectious disease, and that salt can be used to disinfect both the hands and mouths,” one source told Daily NK.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has not promoted the idea that salt water can help defend against infectious diseases.

CLOSELY WATCHING FOR SYMPTOMS

Daily NK’s source in South Hamgyong Province also reported that inminban and workplaces are required to immediately report all cases of fever and coughing to disease control officials. All reported cases are sent to ho...:tiphat:https://www.dailynk.com/english/north-korean-officials-tell-population-use-salt-water-contain-virus/