North Korea reports 89,500 new fever cases

A doctor from the Korean People's Army visits a pharmacy to give a man prescription medicine in Pyongyang, May 27. Health care workers in North Korea are "intensifying" COVID tests and treatments across the country, state media said, May 27, days after the impoverished country reaffirmed the epidemic was now "clearly" under control. AFP-Yonhap

North Korea's daily new suspected COVID-19 cases stayed below 100,000 for the second straight day, according to its state media Sunday.

More than 89,500 people showed symptoms of fever over a 24-hour period until 6 p.m. the previous day, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, citing data from the state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters. It again gave no information on whether additional deaths were confirmed.

The total number of fever cases reported in the country since late April came to 3.45 million, of which 3.26 million have recovered and around 186,110 are being treated, the KCNA reported.

Meanwhile, the North's leader Kim Jong-un "guided" a politburo meeting of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) to discuss measures in the antivirus fight, the KCNA said in a separate report.

North Korea hints at possibility of easing COVID-19 curbs 2022-05-29 15:13  |  North Korea
During the consultative session, the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the WPK "made a positive evaluation of the pandemic situation being controlled and improved across the country and discussed the issues of continuously stabilizing and improving the overall anti-epidemic situation while further consolidating the experiences gained in the early period of the anti-epidemic work," the KCNA said in its English-language report.

The North disclosed its coronavirus outbreak on May 12. (Yonhap)