(LEAD) N. Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases fall below 400: state media

North Korea 09:19 July 18, 2022

(ATTN: UPDATES with more info from 4th para)
By Yi Wonju

SEOUL, July 18 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases dropped below 400, according to its state media Monday.

More than 310 people showed symptoms of fever over a 24-hour period until 6 p.m. the previous day, the official Korean Central News Agency said, citing data from the state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters.

It did not provide information on whether additional deaths have been reported. As of July 5, the death toll had stood at 74, with the fatality rate at 0.002 percent.

The total number of fever cases since late April came to over 4.77 million as of 6 p.m. Sunday, of which 99.98 percent had recovered and at least 710 others are being treated, it added.

The North's daily fever tally has been on a downward trend after peaking at over 392,920 on May 15.

In this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency on June 15, 2022, North Korean workers disinfect public areas of the Ryugyong Golden Mall in Pyongyang. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

The KCNA said the North is ramping up its antivirus measures "as the good circumstance of the anti-epidemic campaign is improved to finally defuse the epidemic crisis and completely restore the anti-epidemic stability."

"Researchers and specialists in the fields of epidemic prevention, public health and science and education draw up a guide for collecting and delivering the sample of monkeypox virus and a guide for treating the virus, and technically perfect the checking method," the KCNA said in an English-language report.

The health authorities have also taken measures to establish a test method and system for COVID-19 variants and other pandemic diseases, it added.

Pyongyang disclosed its first COVID-19 case on May 12 after claiming to be coronavirus-free for over two years and implemented nationwide lockdowns.