North Korea has reported another 260-thousand new suspected COVID-19 cases, a week after it first admitted to detecting the virus in the country.
 
The North’s official Korean Central News Agency(KCNA) on Thursday said the state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters reported one new death and 262-thousand-270 more people with fever symptoms in the 24 hour-period to 6 p.m. Wednesday.
 
The KCNA said the new figures raised the total number of fever cases to nearly two million since late April. It added that about one million-238-thousand of them have recovered and some 740-thousand are receiving treatment. The death toll rose to 63.
 
Despite the spread of the virus, North Korea continued to express confidence during a ruling party politburo meeting on Tuesday that the country could overcome the crisis on its own, saying that the trend is improving.
 
According to figures provided by the North, the number of people found with fever have remained in the 200-thousand range for three days since peaking at nearly 400-thousand on Sunday.

Given the inadequacy of the North's medical system, however, outside experts believe the number of deaths and infections is much larger than the official tallies.

[Photo : KBS News]