A day after confirming its first cases, state media reports thousands are suffering fever symptoms.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appeared in a face mask on television for the first time on Thursday to order nationwide lockdowns
But in an update on Friday, the official KCNA news agency reported that the outbreak extended beyond the capital. "A fever whose cause couldn't be identified spread explosively nationwide from late April," it said. The country shares land borders with South Korea and China, which have both battled outbreaks. China is now struggling to contain an Omicron wave with lockdowns in its biggest cities.
Food and medicine are already in short supply, thanks to efforts by authorities to keep the virus out - they've sealed the country's borders for more than two years, cutting off virtually all trade.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
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