May 13

North Korea says more than 350,000 people have experienced unexplained fevers since late April. It adds over 180,000 have been isolated and are being treated nationwide.

This comes after the North confirmed its first coronavirus outbreak on Thursday. Leader Kim Jong Un has ordered officials to lock down all cities and counties in the country.

The state-run Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim Jong Un visited the country's state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters on Thursday. It said Kim was briefed there about the infection situation.

The report said an unknown fever spread "explosively" across the country. It added over 18,000 people were confirmed to have fevers on Thursday alone.

KCNA stated that 187,800 people are being isolated and treated. It said six people have died. One individual among them was reportedly infected with the BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron.

Kim instructed officials again to stop the virus from spreading, especially in the capital Pyongyang.

NHK