North Korea still claims zero cases of COVID

North Korean citizens visit the statues of their late leaders Kim Il-sung, left, and Kim Jong-il on Mansu Hill in Pyongyang, North Korea on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the birth of Kim Jong-il, Feb. 16. AP-Yonhap

North Korea has reported to the World Health Organization that the country has seen no cases of COVID-19 after more than 56,000 of its people have been tested so far, WHO data showed Tuesday.

The North has claimed it has remained coronavirus-free since the pandemic began two years ago.

According to the latest WHO statistics, 56,227 North Koreans have been tested for COVID-19 so far, but none of them were found to be infected.

Of the about 1,300 people tested between Jan. 11 and 17, 110 showed symptoms similar to those of flu or acute respiratory infections, the North reported.

Since the pandemic began, the North has kept its borders closed to fend off the coronavirus. It has also refused to accept vaccines allocated to the country through the COVAX Facility, a global vaccine distribution platform. (Yonhap)