New Delhi, Aug 11 - To tackle the growing number of people queuing up to test for swine flu, the Delhi government may soon allow testing for the Influenza A (H1N1) virus at private hospitals, Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit said Tuesday.

So far, tests are being conducted only at 14 government institutions in Delhi.

'we don't want panic to be spread. We are working out a policy where we would involve private hospitals (for testing) in this. The government of India is doing whatever is possible to see that there is no scarcity of drugs or other requirements that can prevent this flu from spreading,' Dikshit told a news channel here.

Over 250 people have tested positive for influenza A (H1N1) in Delhi, of whom 178 have been discharged while 58 are undergoing treatment in designated hospitals.

Panic has spread among residents with the infectious disease claiming 10 lives across the country.

Face masks, especially the safer N95 masks, are flying off the racks at pharmacy shops but chemists say they are not getting fresh supplies as the stocks are being diverted to Pune, where the highest number of cases have been detected and five have already succumbed to swine flu.