North Korea claims its fever-related daily cases suspected to be COVID-19 stayed in the 40-thousand range for a third day.

The North’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Sunday that 40-thousand-60 new fever patients were confirmed in the 24-hour period leading up to 6 p.m. Saturday nationwide.

Quoting the nation's state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters, the KCNA said over 46-thousand patients recovered and one death was reported during the same period.

According to the North's official tallies, daily new fever cases peaked on May 15 at nearly 393-thousand, but the number has continued to drop since it fell below 100-thousand on May 27.

The cumulative cases in the North compiled since late April grew to around four-point-43 million with the North Korean authorities claiming that all but some 71-thousand have fully recovered.

The KCNA said the death toll came to 72 with a fatality rate of zero-point-002 percent.

Meanwhile, the Tongil Sinbo, a North Korean weekly, blasted over speculations that the statistics declared by the North lack credibility.

The outlet criticized that conservative forces in South Korea are making groundless and abusive claims distorting the reality of North Korea, denouncing the claims as sheer nonsense stemming from the utter ignorance of North Korea.