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North Korea’s state media warned of the prospect of a lengthy battle against the coronavirus and said vaccines developed by global drugmakers were proving to be “no universal panacea”.

The country has not officially confirmed any infections, although South Korean officials have said an outbreak there cannot be ruled out, as the North had trade and people-to-people links with China before shutting its border early last year.

The Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of North Korea’s ruling Workers’ party, said on Tuesday the global pandemic was only worsening, despite the development of vaccines.

“Novel coronavirus vaccines introduced competitively by various countries were once regarded as a glimmer of hope for humanity that could end the fight against this frightening disease,” Rodong Sinmun said.

“But the situations in many countries are clearly proving that the vaccines are never a universal panacea,” it said, citing news reports of rising numbers of new cases overseas and safety concerns surrounding some vaccines.