By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter

The cold spell is expected to make the influenza A (H1N1) virus more active, which is likely to trigger a major jump in the number of patients in the days to come.

The government is expected to raise the national alert level to its highest today at the earliest. Officials say that the present cold spell may prove to be an omen of what's to come, once winter arrives.

They are also between a rock and a hard place with regards to the Nov. 12 College Scholastic Ability Test (the nationwide standardized college admission test) with tens of thousands of students taking the exam.

Since May, when the first case was reported here, the authorities and experts have said that the virus might not survive the hot summer. But since the mercury has been going down and the virus remains active, they are now looking at various ways to contain it, including temporary school closures and mobilizing military medical staff.

The administration will likely upgrade the nation's alert level to "Red," today, while vaccinations against the virus for school students, scheduled for mid November, will start ahead of schedule.

"There is nothing confirmed yet, but since the temperature is going down, we are discussing various ways to fight the spread," Choi Hee-ju, an official at the Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs, said Monday.

Five deaths on Sunday were confirmed to have been linked to the influenza, raising the death toll to 40 here. The health ministry said the number of newly confirmed patients jumped 119 percent in a week, between Oct. 26 and Nov. 1.

Meanwhile, the government announced emergency measures against a shortage of blood for transfusions.

Blood donation centers nationwide will extend operating hours while civil servants and military staff will be encouraged to donate. The government also asked religious, labor, business leaders for their participation and help.

The shortage is due to public anxiety that donors might contract the flu. According to the National Red Cross, there are 15,756 units of condensed red blood cells in storage, which is good for only three more days, though it usually keeps stockpiles for at least seven days.

"There hasn't been a single report of flu through blood donation. Those who have had the virus can still donate seven days after they have recovered. Those who are vaccinated can also donate their blood 24 hours after inoculation," said Sohn Young-rae, a health ministry official.

bjs@koreatimes.co.kr