Despite the fact that North Korea has amassed nearly 2 million cases of covid-19, it continues to oppose vaccination. 

Painkillers, antibiotics, and home remedies with no scientific backing, such as gargling with salt water, honeysuckle tea, or willow tea, are being promoted by state media.

The ruling-party newspaper Rodong Sinmun suggested ginger or honeysuckle tea and a willow-leaf drink for people who weren’t too sick.

Tea may relieve some Covid symptoms including a sore throat or cough, as well as aid hydration in people who are losing more fluid than usual.

However, they are not a cure for the infection.

Any hot beverage can provide the same relief, while ginger and willow leaves may have additional anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving qualities.

State media recently conducted an interview with a couple who suggested gargling with salt water morning and night.

The state news agency said that “thousand of tonnes of salt” had been sent to Pyongyang to prepare an “antiseptic solution.”

Patients have been told by state television to take painkillers like ibuprofen and antibiotics like amoxicillin and others.

Ibuprofen (and paracetamol) help lower a fever and relieve symptoms like a headache or sore throat, but they won’t get rid of the virus or keep it from spreading.

Antibiotics, which are designed to treat bacterial infections rather than viruses, are not suggested since they risk establishing resistance in bacteria.

Although it did not “fully claim” that antibiotics and home medicines totally eradicate Covid-19, North Korea is already renowned for promoting unproven treatments, such as a ginseng injection that allegedly cures HIV and even sexual impotence.

At this point in the pandemic, North Korea has turned down medical help from South Korea and the United States, as well as requests from the World Health Organization (WHO) for further information on the country’s outbreak.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that the organization is “deeply concerned about the risk of the spread” of Covid-19 in the country, since the organization’s response to the pandemic has mostly centered on isolating individuals with suspected cases of the disease.  Vaccines, drugs, and even intensive care units are in short supply.

Experts in other nations believe North Korea’s rising Covid-19 outbreak is being underreported in order to avoid public outrage that could damage policy. Since most North Koreans do not have access to the internet or foreign news, the virus was announced through official media.

Although North Korea’s healthcare system was designed to provide free medical care, extreme weather circumstances like as droughts, as well as isolation, have had an influence on the local economy in recent years. In practice, this meant that the system didn’t have enough professionals, medicines, or equipment, which made it harder to keep the covid-19 in check.

Image Credit: Getty

You were reading: North Korea Is Dealing With COVID-19 Wave In Its Style