North Korea is advising citizens to combat Covid with traditional medicines such as tea as the Omicron variant continues to spread throughout its unvaccinated population.
Earlier this month Kim Jong-un admitted for the first time that the pandemic had reached North Korea. Previously, he'd bragged that his country’s strict "quarantine front" had held firm when the rest of the world’s defences had failed.Now, the hermit nation has been forced to advise citizens on potential remedies for what it refers to as a "fever".
The BBC has been monitoring North Korea's state media, controlled by Kim Jong-un's ruling Worker's Party. They report that Rodong Sinmun, the state newspaper, has recommended honeysuckle, ginger or willow-leaf tea for those not seriously ill.Although these may help with coughs, sore throats and inflammation, they will not treat the virus.
Salt water has been another suggestion, with state media reporting that a "thousand of tonnes of salt" has been sent to Pyongyang to make an "antiseptic solution".