North Korea confirms 21 new deaths as it battles COVID-19

By KIM TONG-HYUNG
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea has reported 21 new deaths and 174,440 more people with fever symptoms as the country scrambles to slow the spread of COVID-19 across its unvaccinated population. The deaths and cases, which were from Friday, increased total numbers to 27 deaths and 524,440 illnesses amid a rapid spread of fever since late April. State media didn’t specify how many of the fever cases and deaths were confirmed as COVID-19 infections. The country imposed nationwide lockdowns Thursday after confirming its first COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic. Despite the outbreak, commercial satellite images from recent weeks indicate that North Korea has resumed construction at a long-dormant nuclear reactor.