Joori and Josh Smith

SEOUL (Reuters). North Korean leader Kim Jong Un directed an emergency politburo meeting. He ordered that the military be used in order to stabilize Pyongyang’s supply of medicine as Pyongyang fights the first COVID-19-related outbreak. State media reported Monday.

North Korea admitted last week for the first times that it was fighting an “explosive COVID-19” outbreak. Experts raised concerns about the potential devastation that could result from a nation with few medical resources and no vaccine program.

Kim criticized “irresponsible”, organizing and executing abilities of Cabinet members and public health officials at the Sunday emergency politburo meeting. State news agency KCNA said that Kim made the comments.

Kim stated that the government ordered distribution of national medicine stocks, but the drug procured from the state is not being distributed to people through pharmacies in the time and exact manner it was intended.

Kim directed that “immediately stabilize” the supply of medicine in Pyongyang City be provided by the military’s medical corps.

KCNA reported that Kim also visited pharmacies near Pyongyang’s Taedong River to learn more about drug supply and demand.

Kim claimed that the pharmacies lack the proper equipment to handle their tasks smoothly. The showcases do not have adequate drug storage and the salespeople are not wearing proper sanitary clothes.

North Korea claims that many of the recent deaths have been caused by people who were careless about taking drugs, due to a lack of information and knowledge regarding the stealth Omicron virus variant infection disease and the correct treatment.

According to KCNA, the country had 392,920 additional people suffering from fever, and eight more deaths.

It didn’t report the number of suspected cases that had been tested positive for COVID-19.