³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ

North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un has lambasted health officials and ordered the army to help distribute medicine, as a wave of Covid cases sweeps through the country.

More than a million people have now been unwell with by what Pyongyang is calling a "fever", state media say.

Some 50 people have died, but it's unclear how many of those suspected cases tested positive for Covid.

North Korea has only limited testing capacity, so few cases are confirmed.

North Koreans are likely to be especially vulnerable to the virus due to a lack of vaccinations and a poor healthcare system. A nationwide lockdown is in place in the reclusive country.

Professor Hazel Smith is an expert on North Korea at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. How much do we know about the situation in the country?

"It's a very serious situation indeed," she tells us.

"It looks like the North Korean government is admitting it hasn't been able to control Covid."

"They don't have basic things on a national basis like soap and disinfectant, proper sewage supplies, water supplies in order to be able to treat infections."

Photo shows: Employees spray disinfectant as part of preventative measures against the Covid-19 coronavirus at the Pyongyang Children's Department Store in Pyongyang on March 18, 2022. Credit: Getty Images

Show less