6 dead after nation admits outbreak

North Korea said Friday six people died and nearly 190,000 are under quarantine after a rapid spread of fever across the nation in recent weeks, a day after it first acknowledged a COVID-19 outbreak in a largely unvaccinated population. The North’s official Korean Central News Agency said Friday that more than 350,000 people were treated for fever that “explosively” spread nationwide since late April and that 162,200 people recovered. It said 187,800 people are being isolated for treatment after 18,000 people were newly found with fever symptoms on Thursday alone.

Experts say a failure to slow infections could have serious consequences because the country has a poor health care system and its 26 million people are believed to be mostly unvaccinated. Leader Kim Jong Un said the spread of the fever has been centered around the capital, Pyongyang, and nearby areas.