SEOUL: North Korea on Sunday reported 15 additional deaths from 鈥渇ever,鈥� days after officially confirming its first-ever COVID-19 cases and ordering nationwide lockdowns.
The outbreak, which leader Kim Jong Un has said is causing 鈥済reat upheaval,鈥� leaves a country with one of the world鈥檚 worst health care systems on the edge of potential disaster.
North Korea has no COVID-19 vaccines, antiviral treatment drugs or mass-testing capacity.
While it has maintained a rigid coronavirus blockade since the pandemic鈥檚 start, experts have said that massive omicron outbreaks in neighboring countries meant it was only a matter of time before COVID-19 snuck in.
Despite activating a 鈥渕aximum emergency quarantine system鈥� to slow the disease鈥檚 spread through its unvaccinated population, Pyongyang is now reporting large numbers of new cases daily.
Official state media KCNA on Sunday said 42 people had died since the outbreak鈥檚 beginning, with 820,620 cases and at least 324,550 receiving medical treatment.
The news agency reported that 鈥渁ll provinces, cities and counties of the country have been totally locked down and working units, production units and residential units closed from each other.鈥�
North Korea first revealed the highly contagious omicron variant had been detected in the capital on Thursday, with Kim ordering nationwide lockdowns after an emergency meeting of the country鈥檚 Politburo.
鈥淭he spread of malignant disease comes to be a great upheaval in our country,鈥� Kim said Saturday.
A large number of the deaths have been due to 鈥渁 lack of knowledge and understanding of the stealth omicron variant virus infection,鈥� KCNA said, adding 鈥渦rgent鈥� measures were being taken to educate the public.
Sunday鈥檚 KCNA report did not specify whether the new cases and deaths tested positive for COVID-19, but experts say the country will struggle to screen and diagnose on a massive scale.
North Korea鈥檚 health care system ranked 193 out of 195 countries in a 2021 Johns Hopkins University survey.
鈥淲ith the current very backward and inaccurate testing method 鈥� which diagnoses Covid-19 based on whether a person has a fever or not 鈥� it鈥檚 impossible for North Korea to detect asymptomatic infections and contain the outbreak,鈥� said Cheong Seong-jang, a researcher at the Sejong Institute.
鈥淲ith the continued spike in the number of COVID-19 infections, the number of deaths from it is expected to rise further,鈥� he added.
Kim has said the country will 鈥渁ctively learn鈥� from China鈥檚 pandemic management strategy, according to KCNA.
China, the world鈥檚 only major economy still maintaining a zero-COVID-19 policy, is battling multiple omicron outbreaks 鈥� with lockdowns in some major cities, including financial hub Shanghai, sparking increasing public frustration.
North Korea has previously turned down offers of COVID-19 vaccines from China and the World Health Organization鈥檚 Covax scheme, but both Beijing and Seoul have issued fresh offers of aid since the outbreak was announced.
Despite the public health crisis, new satellite imagery indicates North Korea has resumed construction at a long-dormant nuclear reactor.
The United States and South Korea have warned that Kim is preparing to conduct another nuclear test 鈥� the regime鈥檚 seventh 鈥� and that it could come any day.
Analysts have warned Kim could speed up nuclear testing plans to distract North Korea鈥檚 population from the disastrous coronavirus outbreak.