Jaipur, Jan 8 (IANS): Swine flu claimed three lives in Rajasthan on Tuesday taking the total toll to 14 in the first eight days of the year, said Rajasthan health officials.

The three deaths were reported from Nagaur, Jalore and Jodhpur, they said.

Government officials tested 221 swine flu samples on Tuesday out of which 57 tested positive. The highest number of swine flu patients were from Jaipur, 25, while Jodhpur reported seven and Udaipur five patients.

In the first eight days of the year, 1,262 samples have been tested out of which 341 samples have tested positive. While 14 people lost their lives to the virus, in 2018, a total of 225 deaths were confirmed in a year, said officials.

According to Health Minister Dr Raghu Sharma, separate outdoor has been set up in hospitals for swine flu patients. Around 25 beds have been reserved for the flu patients in each hospital and adequate number of ventilators in the hospital have been reserved.

Screening of family members of swine flu patients and their neighbours is also being done to check its spread, he added.

Rapid response teams are being sent to the areas highly affected by the virus. The health officials have been warned not to take leave from their offices without permission.