North Korea: Fighting Covid with traditional medicine

North Korea is grappling with the spread of Covid in an unvaccinated population, without access to effective anti-viral drugs.

In early 2020, the country sealed its borders to try to insulate itself from the pandemic.

Its leadership has so far rejected outside medical support.

North Korea is recommending various traditional treatments to deal with what is referred to as “fever”.

For those not seriously ill, ruling-party newspaper Rodong Simnun recommended remedies including ginger or honeysuckle tea and a willow-leaf drink.

State media recommended gargling with salt water morning and night and advised patients to use painkillers such as ibuprofen as well as amoxicillin and other antibiotics.

North Korea turned down three million Chinese-made doses, last year – and reportedly rejected other offers – under Covax, the global vaccine-sharing scheme.