North Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases stayed below 500 for the second consecutive day, according to its state media Sunday.

More than 430 people showed symptoms of fever over a 24-hour period until 6 p.m. the previous day, the official Korean Central News Agency said, citing data from the state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters.

It did not provide information on whether additional deaths have been reported.

The total number of fever cases since late April came to over 4.77 million as of 6 p.m. Saturday, of which 99.98 percent had recovered and at least 870 others are being treated, it added.

The North's daily fever tally has been on a downward trend after peaking at over 392,920 on May 15, three days after it announced a coronavirus outbreak.

The KCNA reported the health authorities are stepping up cooperation between anti-epidemic sectors and units to prevent the spread of new COVID-19 variants in the nation.

Research teams are analyzing the anti-epidemic situation, as well as the course of the disease and severity of fever cases "so as to solve the technical issues arising in closely examining the inroad of new COVID-19 sub-variants from a scientific outlook and preventing their spread," it said in an English-language article. (Yonhap)