The World Health Organization (WHO) declared that it will send essential COVID-19 aid to North Korea. In its weekly monitoring report, the global health body stated that it will provide aid through the Chinese border port of Dalian. However, this is one of the new initiatives of the WHO to support DPR Korea.
WHO to Send COVID-19 Supplies to North Korea
In its weekly monitoring report, the World Health Organization declared that they will provide COVID-19 essentials to North Korea. Moreover, the UN body stated that they will support DPR Korea with as many essentials as possible through the Chinese border port of Dalian. Firstly, they will send the shipment to China where it will go through some assessment and further dispatch to DPR Korea.
However, the Korean country has not reported a single COVID-19 case since the outbreak until September 2021. Furthermore, the officials there said that they have tested approximately 40,700 people so far. None of them tested positive for the virus. Although there were people with cold and flu-like symptoms, they did not have Covid. Besides the general public, the Korean authorities have also tested healthcare and essential workers.
Matter of National Existence
Soon after the outbreak began in 2019, North Korea shut all its borders and remained secretive all through the year. Besides that, their dictator also implemented extremely strict restrictions to stop the virus from spreading further. They described it as a “matter of national existence”. However, these restrictions had a very huge impact on the country’s economy and resources. Now that the World Health Organization is providing them some aid, the nation might ease its border restrictions. They haven’t announced anything officially.
Refused All Help
North Korea has restrained any sort of aid from any country of the world, including its close ally China and Russia. Earlier this year, China offered its COVID-19 vaccine, Sinovac, to the Korean nation but the authorities refused to accept it. They stated that the vaccine must first reach harder hit COVID-19 nations.
However, the authorities were generous enough to do so. Since then, the country has not accepted Covid vaccines from any other country as well. They are emphasizing regular testing their citizens rather than vaccinating them. Henceforth, the World Health Organization is providing them with essential COVID-19 supplies.
