North Korea announced on Wednesday (May 18) that more than a million people have already recovered from suspected COVID-19.
The country’s anti-virus headquarters announced 232,880 new cases of fever and another six deaths in state media Wednesday. Those figures raise its totals to 62 deaths and more than 1.7 million fever cases since late April. It said at least 691,170 remain in quarantine.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Tuesday (May 17) that North Korea has not responded to its request for more data about its outbreak.
Outside experts told the AP they believe most of the fevers are COVID-19 but North Korea lacks tests to confirm so many. They’re convinced the outbreak is almost certainly greater than the fever tally. However, they don’t understand how more than a million people recovered so quickly from COVID-19 when limited medicine, medical equipment and health facilities exist to treat the country’s impoverished, unvaccinated population of 26 million.
Some experts fear North Korea could be simply releasing people from quarantine after their fevers subside.