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North Korea Officially Reports First COVID-19 Outbreak

by Reuters

   SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA --

   North Korea officially confirmed its first COVID-19 outbreak Thursday,
   with state media reporting a sub-variant of the highly transmissible
   omicron virus, known as BA.2, had been detected in Pyongyang.

   "There has been the biggest emergency incident in the country, with a
   hole in our emergency quarantine front, that has been kept safely over
   the past two years and three months since February 2020," the state
   media said.

   The report said people in Pyongyang contracted the omicron variant,
   without providing details on case numbers or possible sources of
   infection.

   The report was published as the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un chaired
   a Workers' Party meeting to discuss responses to the first outbreak of
   the coronavirus.