North Korea seeks international help for virus testing, newspaper says
2024-09-23 09:37:40 [资讯] 来源:Anhui News
North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un sits in his vehicle after arriving at a railway station in Dong Dang, Vietnam, at the border with China, Feb. 26, 2019 file photo. /Reuters-Yonhap |
By Jon Herskovitz
North Korean officials have sought urgent help from international contacts to increase coronavirus testing in a nation that could see its dilapidated health care system be crushed by an outbreak, the Financial Times reported.
People familiar with the matter said the requests have come in over the past few weeks, the newspaper reported Thursday, saying it had seen one of the documents requesting aid. At least 590 people have been tested, all of whom arrived from overseas in January and had negative results, it reported, citing one person directly familiar with the situation inside North Korea.
Bordered by China, where the virus originated, and South Korea, which has been among the hardest hit, North Korea claims it has evaded the pandemic with no cases of infection. But diplomats and experts piecing together the clues and who have previously spoken to Bloomberg News see a different picture.
A worker of the Ryongaksan Soap Factory makes disinfectants in Pyongyang, North Korea, March 19. North Korea has been engaged in an intense campaign to guard against COVID-19, though it hasn't officially reported any cases of infection. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. /AP-Yonhap |
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un brought his already isolated country to a near standstill by sealing the borders in January to stop the virus, which halted the trickle of legal trade and tourism. But even that may not have been enough. The U.S. is "fairly certain" there are coronavirus cases in North Korea because of a noticeable lack of military activity, Gen. Robert Abrams, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, told reporters in a teleconference briefing in March.
Due to a crumbling medical system, sanctions restricting trade and decades of economic mismanagement that have left more than 40% of its population chronically undernourished and vulnerable to disease, North Korea runs enormous risks of a coronavirus outbreak turning into a humanitarian disaster that could lead to mass deaths _ and leave it as a disease reservoir even as the tide turns in Asia.
Those concerns have prompted aid organizations and North Korean allies like Russia to rush in medical supplies and others to offer help.
The United Nations has warned that maintaining economic sanctions on countries including North Korea, Iran and Venezuela could have a debilitating effect on health care systems and human rights.
"At this crucial time, both for global public health reasons, and to support the rights and lives of millions of people in these countries, sectoral sanctions should be eased or suspended," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said Tuesday in a statement. "In a context of global pandemic, impeding medical efforts in one country heightens the risk for all of us." (Bloomberg News/ Tribune News)
(责任编辑:行业动态)
相关内容
- Klarna CEO reveals plan to reduce workforce by 50% and replace it with AI
- American Varner wins Saudi International
- Apple reveals India pricing for new MacBook Pro
- American Varner wins Saudi International
- Coach jailed for sexual exploitation of underage athlete
- South Korean lawmakers brace for US election as Harris, Trump diverge on North Korea
- 保护电力设施 维护公共安全
- 壮大高素质农机化人才队伍!丘陵山地机械化(茶产业)高质量发展培训班开班
- Park vows strong sanctions on N.K.
- Which iPad Model Is Right for You?
- Federer, Djokovic praise 'great champion' Nadal
- 8万尾“湘云鲫”“湘云鲤”雨城安家
- Team USA curling squad feuds with Kirstie Alley of all people
推荐文章
-
How much will PCB's Champions Cup mentors be paid?
ListentoarticleThe Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has appointed five distinguished mentors for the upc ...[详细] -
Michael Owen talks visit to Pakistan
KARACHI:The England and Liverpool football legend Michael Owen came to Pakistan on January 25, and p ...[详细] -
雅安日报讯 记者获悉,刚刚结束的四川省第一届全民健身运动会体育舞蹈国际舞)比赛上,我市参赛小选手们一举夺得标准舞团体舞冠军。吴博文、周子均拿下了标准舞比赛组的金牌;姚传升、白雪洁获得了标准舞比赛组的 ...[详细]
-
Scott Moir watching hockey is more fun to watch than hockey
Scott Moir is a very passionate individual.The Canadian athlete, who won gold medals in ice dancing ...[详细] -
Sinner vs. Michelsen 2024 livestream: Watch US Open for free
TL;DR:Live stream Sinner vs. Michelsen in the 2024 US Open for free on 9Now or TVNZ+. Access these f ...[详细] -
Nice dump PSG out of French Cup
PARIS:Paris Saint-Germain were eliminated from the French Cup on Monday as Marcin Bulka, a goalkeepe ...[详细] -
雅安市自然资源和规划局、市气象局2024年8月14日16时15分联合发布第31号地质灾害气象风险预警
8月14日20时-8月15日20时,荥经县,天全县,宝兴县,雨城区晏场镇、望鱼镇、八步镇,汉源县九襄镇、宜东镇、清溪镇、安乐镇、马烈乡,石棉县回隆镇、栗子坪彝族乡、新民藏族彝族乡、草科藏族乡、王岗坪彝 ...[详细] -
By Yi Whan-wooNorth Korean citizens are hailing their leader Kim Jong-un for successfully holding th ...[详细]
-
Tesla's big software update includes something called 'Night Curfew'
Tesla's latest car update is great news for parents who (unwisely?) let their kids borrow the car, a ...[详细] -
As relations between South Korea and China have improved over the last several years, economic inter ...[详细]
热点阅读
随机内容
Smiley face on Mars is a telltale sign of its past
People gathered to say 'wow' like Owen Wilson in Australia
- 评论丨农事运动会:一场农民的盛会、新农人风采展现的盛会、城乡双向奔赴的盛会
- Writer and activist shares Twitter thread about the language people with dwarfism have to deal with
- Polish skater cried amid confusion over isolation
- We know about Ferguson's police brutality because of Vine
- Discover Secret Swimming Holes and Hidden History in Crystal River, Florida
- Eriksen seeks return to 'normal life' with Brentford
- MoonPie Twitter has evolved to making dad jokes