Washington concerned about COVID-19 outbreak in North Korea

SANAA, May 18 (YPA) – The United States is deeply concerned about the COVID-19 outbreak in North Korea and supports providing humanitarian assistance, including COVID-19 vaccines, Ned Price, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State said Tuesday.

“Unfortunately, to date the North Korea has refused all vaccine donations from COVAX,” Ned Price said when asked in a daily press briefing if the US would support the international vaccine-sharing program decided to provide vaccines to the North.

“I say it is unfortunate because we are deeply concerned about the apparent COVID outbreak within North Korea, how it might affect the North Korean people, and the United States continues to support the provision of vaccines to the DPRK,” he added.

North Korea began reporting suspected COVID-19 cases last week, and said more than 1.48 million people with fever have been identified as of Monday (Seoul time) with 56 deaths.

He also accused Pyongyang of neglecting the needs of its people.

“There’s another great irony, or perhaps even a tragedy, in that even as North Korea continues to refuse the donation of apparently much needed COVID vaccines, they continue to invest untold sums in ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs that do nothing to alleviate the humanitarian plight of the North Korean people,” Price said.

“The North Korea leadership continues to enrich themselves, to take care of their cronies while the people of the North, of the DPRK suffer, apparently now with the added burden, COVID,” he added.

E.M