After two years of insisting that he had not recorded a single case of the virus, the North admitted its first infections on May 12, sparking fears of a public health disaster in the impoverished country. On Friday, the country reported that 4,570 people had recent symptoms of fever, bringing the total number of cases to 4.74 million. The health authorities refer to the symptoms of fever and not to Covid-19, apparently due to the lack of test kits. The North has reported only 73 deaths. The official KCNA news agency reported on Friday that an 18-year-old soldier and a five-year-old boy who had touched “unknown materials” in eastern Kumgang County in early April showed symptoms and later tested positive for Covid-19. “A sharp rise in fever cases was observed between their contacts and that a group of feverish people appeared in the area … for the first time,” he said. However, the first time North Korean rebel groups are believed to have sent balloons across the border this year was in late April from the western Gimpo region. The KCNA warned citizens “to be careful with extraterrestrials coming from the wind and other climatic phenomena and balloons in the areas along the demarcation line and the border.” Although the report does not name South Korea, insurgent activists use balloons to send anti-regime leaflets and humanitarian aid to the countries’ heavily armed borders. In response, the Southern Unification Ministry said on Friday that there was “no chance” the coronavirus would enter the North via balloons. Experts were skeptical of Pyongyang’s claim. “It’s hard to believe North Korea’s claim, scientifically speaking, given that the chances of the virus spreading through objects are quite low,” said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the North Korean University in Seoul. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the risk of infecting people through contact with contaminated surfaces or objects is generally considered low, though not impossible. The regime has not publicly backed a more plausible explanation – that Covid entered North Korea after resuming cross-border trade with China. “If they conclude that the virus originated in China, they would have to tighten quarantine measures in the border area to further regress North Korea-China trade,” said Lim Eul-chul, a professor at the Far East Institute at the University. Kyungnam. Reports from the North Korean authorities suggest that the country has avoided a catastrophic outbreak, although it is impossible to independently verify official statistics on cases and deaths. Pyongyang has rejected external offers of humanitarian aid, including Covid-19 vaccines and medical supplies, to help it deal with the pandemic, and has accused the United States of using the gesture to reduce its “hostile” policy toward the North. North Korea’s foreign ministry said the United States had been insincere in offering aid as it continued to conduct military exercises and push for more sanctions in response to the regime’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
