21 new deaths from ‘fever’ in North Korea, 174,440 new fever cases detected on Friday

North Korea reported 21 new deaths from a ‘fever’ of unidentified origin and has ordered nationwide lockdowns, says North Korea's state news agency (KCNA).

KCNA reported that 174,440 new fever cases were detected on Friday alone and that 21 people had died. But the report does not specify whether the victims were infected with Covid-19. Also, experts are of the opinion that the country cannot conduct testing on all ‘fever’ patients as it lacks mass testing capacity.

"The total number of sick people nationwide was 524,440, of which 234,630 were fully recovered, 288,810 were receiving treatment, and the number of deaths so far is 27," added the KCNA report.

North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un has shown concern over the situation and said the outbreak was disrupting the entire country.

He also said that he will adopt the Chinese model to prevent virus spread. "We should take lessons from the experiences and fruitful achievements in preventing virus of China's Communist Party and its people," he said.