North Korean media reported on Sunday that more than 296,000 new cases of fever and 15 additional deaths were confirmed nationwide.

The ruling Workers' Party newspaper Rodong Sinmun said the tallies are from between Friday evening and 6 p.m., on Saturday.

Pyongyang officially confirmed its first cases of the coronavirus on Thursday. The officials said it would raise its epidemic prevention system to the maximum emergency level, with all cities and counties under lockdown.

The country's daily count of fever cases on Saturday increased by more than 120,000 from the previous day.

The tally of people with fever since late April has reportedly surpassed 820,000, with the number of deaths at 42.

Leader Kim Jong Un expressed a strong sense of crisis at a meeting of the party's Political Bureau on Saturday, describing the situation as a "great turmoil since the country's founding."

He told officials to learn from China and to step up control measures including testing all residents.

But the North Korean medical system is said to be vulnerable, and there is concern that infections may spread further.