Report: North Korea among nations to apply for COVID-19 vaccine [from Switzerland's GAVI Alliance]

[Hamartia Antidote]

Report: North Korea among nations to apply for COVID-19 vaccine - UPI.com

North Korea was among a group of developing countries that requested shipments of COVID-19 vaccines.

www.upi.com

Jan. 4 (UPI) -- North Korea was among a group of developing countries that requested shipments of COVID-19 vaccines, despite declaring itself free of the virus, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday.

Sources "familiar with the matter" told the newspaper North Korea filed an application for vaccines with Gavi, the public-private global health partnership that works to improve immunization in low-income nations, according to the report.

Gavi did not provide direct confirmation of the statement, but said an update will be made available early in the year. The vaccine alliance has said 86 of 92 developing nations have requested vaccines. North Korea also has requested information on obtaining vaccines from European countries, the report said.

North Korea raised its alert level for the novel coronavirus to the highest of three stages in December, despite official claims of "zero" cases. But the country also held a New Year's celebration in Pyongyang that included fireworks on New Year's Eve. North Koreans were seen in state television footage wearing masks but not practicing social distancing.

Kim Jong Un did not make a televised New Year's speech this year, but issued a New Year's Day card to citizens, vowing to "work hard to bring earlier the new era in which ideals and desires of our people will come true."

Kim also thanked the country for supporting the Korean Workers' Party during "difficult times," according to Pyongyang's Korean Central News Agency.