North Korea has developed its own polymerase chain reaction (PCR) equipment to conduct coronavirus tests, state media says, as the country steps up efforts to head off more contagious new strains of the virus.
The isolated country has not confirmed any Covid-19 cases, but has sealed borders, restricted travel and imposed strict prevention measures, seeing the pandemic as a matter of national survival.
As part of its anti-virus efforts, scientists and technicians at the State Academy of Sciences have developed the PCR system that meets global standards for the first time, said the Rodong Sinmun, the ruling Worker's Party's newspaper, according to Reuters.
