South Korea H1N1 death toll tops 100

SEOUL, Nov. 25 (UPI) -- South Korea's death toll from the H1N1 rose to 104 after 22 more people died of the virus within the past week, health authorities say.

But the rate of infections and the number of deaths declined from a peak last month, when 24 people died in the last week of October, Yonhap News Agency reported.

Of the 104 who have died in the past week, 89 were classified high-risk patients, officials said.

More than 400 schools across Korea had been temporarily closed in early November because of the outbreak, but all but 17 have reopened, Yonhap said.

The government says 2.8 million students have been vaccinated against H1N1 and 7.5 million more will be by early December.

"We expect that concerns about further spread of the disease will sharply decrease once the vaccination for students is completed by early next month and schools' winter vacations begin," health official Kang Sung-ju said.