Kim orders defence force to stabilise Covid-19 drug supplies

Seoul — Leader Kim Jong-un has ordered North Korea's military to stabilise distribution of Covid-19 medicines in the capital, Pyongyang, in the battle on the country's first confirmed outbreak of the disease, state media said.

Last week brought the North's first acknowledgment of an “explosive” outbreak, with experts warning it could wreak devastation in a country with limited medical supplies and no vaccine programme.

Drugs procured by the state are not reaching people timeously and accurately, Kim told an emergency politburo meeting on Sunday, before visiting pharmacies near the capital's Taedong River, state news agency KCNA said.

Kim ordered immediate deployment of the “powerful forces” of the army's medical corps to “stabilise the supply of medicines in Pyongyang City”, it added.

Though authorities have ordered distribution of national reserves of medicine, pharmacies are not well-equipped to perform their functions smoothly, Kim added, the agency said.

Among their shortcomings are a lack of adequate drug storage other than showcases, while salespeople are not equipped with the proper sanitary clothing and hygiene in their surroundings fall short of standards, the leader said.

He criticised the “irresponsible” work attitude, organisation and execution by the cabinet and the public health sector, it added.

Neighbouring South Korea will spare no effort to help the North fight its outbreak, President Yoon Suk-yeol told parliament on Monday, saying it is ready to provide Covid-19 vaccines and other medical support if Pyongyang agrees.

Seoul's unification ministry, responsible for relations between the neighbours, said it will soon propose a plan of support to the North.

North Korea's tally of the fever-stricken stood at 1,213,550, with 50 deaths by Sunday, after KCNA reported 392,920 more cases of fever, and eight more deaths. It did not say how many suspected infections have tested positive for Covid-19.

The North has blamed a large number of the deaths on people who were “careless in taking drugs” because of a lack of knowledge about the Omicron variant of coronavirus and its correct treatment.

Reuters