MOSCOW, May 17. /TASS/. The Emergencies Ministry of North Korea stated that over 269,500 coronavirus cases were registered in the country over the past 24 hours, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) announced on Tuesday.

"According to the information of the state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters, over 269,510 persons with fever, some 170,460 recoveries and 6 deaths were reported from 18:00 of May 15 to 18:00 [local time] of May 16 throughout the country," the agency reported.

According to KCNA: "As of 18:00 of May 16 since late April, the total number of persons with fever is over 1.483,060, of which more than 819,090 have recovered and at least 663,910 are under medical treatment. The death toll stands at 56."

Last Thursday, KCNA reported that North Korea had detected its first case of the BA.2 Omicron variant, also known as stealth Omicron.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who chaired a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party on May 15, described the coronavirus outbreak as "a great disaster."

He emphasized the need to tighten sanitary measures to overcome the crisis and handed down instructions to study China’s experience in combating the pandemic.