UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet has called for sanctions against North Korea to be eased in order to help the country fight covid.

Speaking Monday in Geneva at the 50th session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC), she expressed concern about the possible dire consequences of the spread of the disease on vulnerable populations.

"I remain concerned by the likely human rights impact of the reported outbreak of COVID-19 in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). In the absence of any vaccination rollout, the limited healthcare infrastructure and the precarious food situation, the impact, particularly on vulnerable populations, is likely to be severe," Bachelet said.

"Once again, I urge the international community to relax sanctions to enable urgent humanitarian and COVID-related assistance and encourage the DPRK to open channels for humanitarian support, including the presence of UN staff," the UN High Commissioner said.

The Korean Central News Agency first reported the detection of coronavirus infection in the country on 12 May. On Saturday, authorities in the people's republic reported 42,810 new cases of fever. A total of 4.39 million patients with fever have been reported since late April amid the spread of the coronavirus. Of these, 4.31 million people have recovered, with 77,000 residents undergoing treatment. Information about new deaths is not given, previously 71 deaths were registered.