Pune, May 23: Pune reported the first death of a doctor due to coronavirus on Friday. The 56-year-old doctor died due to COVID-19 at Pune’s Sassoon general hospital. He was a resident of Maharashtra’s Keshavnagar. He was running a private hospital in the city. The doctor was reportedly in a critical condition and was suffering from acute respiratory failure due to the deadly virus. He also had myocarditis and acute kidney injury. Mumbai Police ASI Kiran Pawar Receives Grand Welcome As He Reaches Home After Recovering From COVID-19, Neighbours Shower Flowers; Watch Video.

According to a report published in Hindustan Times, he was also one of the first COVID-19 patients who was given Tocilizumab, an immunosuppressive drug, which has been recommended against the disease. The doctor was admitted to the hospital on May 13. He worked as a general medical practitioner at Pune’s Ghorpadi Gaon. India Records Biggest Single-Day Spike of 6,654 Coronavirus Cases, COVID-19 Count Surges to 1,25,102, Death Toll Stands at 3,720.

“The news of a doctor’s death could lead to fear among the medical community, especially the general physicians, most of whom have already shut their clinics,” reported the media house quoting Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) chief health officer Dr Ramchandra Hankare as saying. The number of coronavirus cases in Pune has crossed 5,000 so far. The death toll due to COVID-19 has also jumped to 257 in the city. On Friday alone, 358 fresh cases and 15 deaths were reported in Pune.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra is the worst-hit state of India due to the deadly virus. On Friday, the western state of India reported 2,940 coronavirus cases. Till now, 44,582 people have contracted COVID-19 tally in the state. The deadly virus also claimed over 1,500 lives in Maharashtra.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 23, 2020 02:13 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).