The government on Monday decided to increase the country's stockpile of flu vaccine by the end of the year to be able to treat five million more patients in an effort to combat the spread of the H1N1 flu virus. The higher quota will enable the government to have in place enough vaccine to treat 10.31 million people or 20 percent of the Korean population. At present, Korea has enough vaccine to treat 5.31 million patients.

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology on Monday said 22 more elementary, middle and high schools decided to either postpone the start of classes or to close down temporarily due to fears over the spread of the virus. In total, 38 schools have made the decision so far.

The ministry said, "Around 65 students at those schools have been found to have contracted the H1N1 virus. Some of the schools did not report any infections, but have decided to postpone the resumption of classes because they are located in areas where some patients have died from the flu or because many students have returned from overseas trips."

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 188 more people tested positive for the virus, bringing the total number of patients in Korea to 3,113. The number of infections climbed above the 3,000 mark just nine days after Korea recorded its 2,000th H1N1 infection on Aug. 15.