North Korea reports 21 new deaths as it battles Covid-19 outbreak

People watching a TV screen showing a file image of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (right) during a news programme at a train station in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, May 14, 2022. North Korea on Saturday reported 21 new deaths and 174,440 more people with fever symptoms as the country scrambles to slow the spread of Covid-19 across its unvaccinated population. - AP

SEOUL, May 14, 2022 (AFP): North Korea announced 21 new "fever" deaths Saturday and said more than half a million people had been sickened nationwide, two days after confirming its first-ever cases of Covid-19.

Despite activating its "maximum emergency quarantine system" to slow the spread of disease through its unvaccinated population, North Korea is reporting tens of thousands of new cases daily.