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World Health Organization says there are ‘no indications’ of coronavirus cases in North Korea

19 February 2020 09:29 (UTC +04:00)

There are no indications that there are cases of the new coronavirus in North Korea, a World Health Organization (WHO) official said, despite South Korean media reports suggesting the outbreak had spread to the isolated country, APA reports citing CNBC

“At the moment there are no signals, there are no indications we are dealing with any COVID-19 there,” Dr. Mike Ryan, head of WHO’s emergencies program, told a news conference in Geneva on Tuesday.

COVID-19 is the name of the disease caused by the new coronavirus.

WHO officials had “no reason to believe that there are any specific issues” going on in North Korea, and would be providing authorities in the North with more laboratory supplies to conduct diagnostic tests, Ryan said.

Some South Korean media outlets have reported multiple cases and possible deaths from the virus in North Korea, but there has been no independent verification.

On Tuesday, Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of North Korea’s ruling party, quoted a public health official reiterating the country had “no confirmed case of the new coronavirus so far.”