WATCH: N Korea deploys army as WHO expressed ‘concern’ over COVID

North Korea has enlisted the army and deployed 10,000 health workers to trace COVID-19 patients.

State media outlet KCNA said the country is grappling with its first COVID-19 outbreak, fuelling concerns over a major crisis due to a lack of vaccines and adequate medical infrastructure.

Some 269,510 more people were reported with fever, bringing the total to 1.48 million, while the death toll rose by six to 56 as of Monday evening.

The country has not started mass vaccinations and has limited testing capabilities, raising concerns that it may be difficult to assess how widely and rapidly the disease is spreading.