Mumbai, September 01: The death toll due to swine flu has touched 56 in Maharashtra, while 1,931 patients are undergoing treatment for the deadly virus at various hospitals in the state, the worst-hit by the pandemic.
Pune has recorded the highest number of 32 deaths, followed by Mumbai and Thane (10), Nashik (7), Latur and Beed two each and Dhule, Aurangabad, Jalna have seen one death each.
Health Secretary Sharvari Gokhale said that 29 patients, who have tested positive for the virus, are undergoing treatment in Pune. Of them, six are in government-run Sasoon Hospital, where they have been put on ventilators.
Besides Pune, one patient is in Mumbai’s civic hospital and five in private hospitals have been put on ventilators as their condition is serious, she said.
So far, 5,21,779 persons have been screened for the deadly viral disease in the state, and 22,944 have been given Tamiflu, Gokhale said.
She said 95 per cent of the patients, who have died of swine flu so far, had come for testing very late.
—Agencies