N.korea hit by Covid-19

SEOUL: North Korea has confirmed its “first-ever” case of Covid-19 and declared a “severe national emergency”, with leader Kim Jong-un vowing to “eliminate” the virus, state media said.

The country has never admitted to a case of Covid19, but now it says samples taken from patients sick with fever in the capital are “consistent” with the Omicron variant. Experts believe North Korea has not vaccinated any of its 25 million people, having rejected offers of vaccinations from the World Health Organisation, as well as from China and Russia.