Three die,seven test positive

“We presume that it was a complicated case. That’s why before the medicines could take effect,the patient died. In most cases of deaths,proper treatment gets delayed,as patients report late to hospitals,” swine flu nodal officer Dr G C Bansal said.

The other two deceased,Jaswinder Singh (36) of Hoshiarpur and Karan Goel (42) of Patiala,arrived at the hospital on Tuesday. They died late in the evening.

So far,four city residents have succumbed to the virus,and 12 deaths have been reported from city hospitals — maximum from Punjab.

Seven more persons,meanwhile,have tested positive,including a Chandigarh teenager. Among the rest of the cases,three are from Punjab,two from Haryana and one from Himachal Pradesh.

The 19-year-old Chandigarh resident,who lives in Sector 22,has been quarantined with his family.

He studies through correspondence.

“The sudden spate of cases can be attributed to the dip in temperature.

This was expected,as the virus gets more active in cooler conditions,” a senior doctor said.

“People should be careful about symptoms and immediately report for screening in case the symptoms persist. If the treatment is delayed,the case gets complicated,” he added.