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North Korea to Begin COVID-19 Vaccinations

Jason Strother

   SEOUL - NorthKorea will receive nearly two-million doses of the
   COVID-19 vaccine through the World Health Organization's COVAX program.
   Despite the country's limited resources, some medical professionals are
   confident that theNorth's doctors can successfully carry-out a
   vaccination campaign.But,human rights advocates say
   Pyongyang'syearlongborder closure has caused a humanitarian disaster.

   TheCOVAX Facility, a multinational program that delivers coronavirus
   vaccines tomiddle- and low-incomecountries, says it will supply North
   Korea with one point seven million doses oftheAstraZeneca vaccine.

   Kee Park, director of the Korean American Medical Association's North
   Korea program, says doctors there have a lot of experience carrying out
   nationwide vaccination campaigns.

   Park explains that AstraZeneca's version is a good option, because it
   only needs to be stored at two to eight degrees Celsius, standard
   refrigeration temperatures that the North has in its medical
   infrastructure.

   Park spoke with VOA News over the phone from Utah.

   "They should be able to distribute AstraZeneca vaccine nationwide, and
   then maintain the cold chain that's required to protect the vaccine
   from what we call denaturing or just inactivated.Sothey have the cold
   chain.Sothey have the technicalknow howand the capacity to distribute
   at least the AstraZeneca vaccine in a nationwide vaccination campaign,"
   Park said.

   Park, a neurosurgeon, says hehas worked side by side with North Korean
   doctors onmore than20 trips to the country.

   He says despite theNorth's limited resources, medical professionals do
   the best they can with what they have available.

   But Park says international sanctions against Pyongyang over its
   nuclear weapons program create setbacks for the country's hospitals.

   Even though medical supplies are technically exempt from import bans,
   Park explains that many aid groups still go through the process
   ofvetting shipments.

   And, he says,that slows down public health campaigns.

   "These UN agencies just they don't take any chances. They don't want to
   run afoul of any problems. And they get the exemptions to be
   fair.But,it creates additional layer of administrative hurdles, work
   that they get that it has to be put in to get these things delivered,"
   Park continued.

   Pyongyang credits its strict border closure with keeping out the
   coronavirus.

   North Korea says it has no COVID-19 infections- a claim that most
   outside observers donot believe.
   A staff member, left, of the Pongnam Noodle House checks the body
   temperature of a woman coming into its restaurant in Pyongyang, North
   Korea, Feb. 5, 2021.

   SokeelPark, who heads the Seoul office of the human rights group
   Liberty in North Korea, says that during the pandemic, the regime has
   also enforced new limitations on domestic travel in the name of public
   health.

   "Maybe actually, they've been able to control the pandemic itself with
   this level of draconian measures, both contact with the outside world
   and movement inside the country," Sokeel said.

   Sokeel sayshe isworried Pyongyangwill notlift these restrictions even
   after the pandemic is over.

   The border closure has also prevented international aid workers from
   entering the country and has nearly halted trade with China.

   Park says this hurts the poorest North Koreans the most.

   "This is creating a massive shortage in all sorts of goods,
   includingbasic necessities, we hear from some contacts inside the
   country that things like soap and toothpaste, and even foodstuffs are
   in shortage. Andsowe're very worried about hunger. From what we hear,
   the last year has been a disaster," Sokeel explained.

   Sokeel adds that without international monitors inside North Korea,he
   isconcerned the COVID-19 vaccinewill notbe distributed fairly.

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