There is a quarantine in place at the Intensive Care Unit of the San Fernando General Hospital.

No one except medical workers wearing protective gear is now allowed in with the six patients there.

The critically ill patients have been tested to find out if they are fighting the H1N1 virus.

The decision was taken yesterday as part of the response by the hospital to the deaths on Tuesday of two ICU patients-two men in their 20s-who deteriorated and died despite the efforts of doctors.

The public was barred from visiting hospital wards on Tuesday evening.

It was confirmed that both died from the swine flu virus.

A third person, a woman, died hours after seeking treatment at the Accident and Emergency Department of the hospital yesterday. She exhibited symptoms similar to the viral attack. Doctors were preparing to place her at the ICU on life support when she died.

The woman’s body was wheeled to the hospital mortuary by orderlies wearing face masks. Her death led to a portion of the A&E being closed to be sanitised. And the area in which paramedics dropped off emergency cases was then declared off-limits with caution tape.

Several patients who went to the hospital with flu-like symptoms were directed to isolation tests outside the A&E department where they were tested.

There was uneasy at the hospital yesterday, with some medical workers discussing leaving the hospital in the face of the confirmed swine flu cases.

And there was anger from some emergency and clinic outpatients who said there were few doctors to attend to them, and no announcement on what precautions to take.

The doctors eventually met with Health Ministry officials, the heads of the various departments and Hospital Medical Director Dr Stephen Ramroop.

It was decided that a death certificate would only be given when patients who died with a chest infection were autopsied to determine if they had swine flu, and that all persons going to hospital complaining of a lung infection would he tested for the virus.

The Express was told that the three who died are from villages near Princes Town but not related. How they contracted the illness is unknown.

Hospital staff, including administrative staff, were also told to wear masks when dealing with the public.