North Korea stockpiled Chinese masks, vaccines before reporting COVID-19 outbreak – CNA

BEIJING: In the months before it acknowledged its first official COVID-19 outbreak, North Korea suddenly imported millions of face masks, 1,000 ventilators, and possibly vaccines from China, trade data released by Beijing showed. State media revealed the outbreak two weeks ago, fuelling concerns about a lack of vaccines, medical supplies and food shortages. Chinese data show that even before that announcement, the North had begun stocking up. North Korea is not known to have conducted any significant COVID-19 vaccine campaign. In February, however, China exported US$311,126 worth of unidentified vaccines to its neighbour, according to the data released this month….