BEIJING - A propaganda video by the North Korean state broadcaster on the Omicron variant of the coronavirus has been getting a lot of attention on Chinese social media lately, with netizens claiming newfound respect for the hermit state.

The 2½-minute clip features a faceless stern-voiced male narrator dishing out facts on the now-dominant virus: Those who contract Omicron are 75 per cent less likely to die than those infected with the Delta virus; 93 per cent have only mild to no symptoms and can be treated as outpatients or at home; infected people can normally recover in five days.