North Korea has yet to announce whether it has started a COVID-19 vaccine campaign, despite reports that authorities are administering Chinese doses in at least certain parts of the country, raising questions about the extent of any campaign and prospects for opening any time soon.

Speaking at the Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA) in September, leader Kim Jong Un said that “along with responsibly administering vaccines, we must recommend that all citizens wear masks for the protection of their health as we enter November.” He also claimed that antibodies developed during the mass COVID-19 outbreak in spring