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An analysis of 2330 of the total 2801 COVID-19 cases detected so far in worst-hit Maharashtra suggests that the age of 70 per cent or 1646 patients ranged between 21 years and 50 years while 684 others are in their 50s, health officials said on Wednesday.
Underlining that people in the 50 plus age group are most vulnerable to the viral disease, the data puts the number of the fatalities in this age group at 77 per cent of the 171 deaths (out of the total 178 up to Tuesday) or 132 in absolute numbers.
The number of coronavirus cases in Maharashtra rose to 2801 on Wednesday with 117 new patients being detected.
The death toll till Tuesday was 178.
Out of the 171 deaths analysed, the age of 104 among 132 COVID-19 victims ranged between 51 years and 70 years, while 39 other victims aged less than 50 years, as per the data.
"A total of 478 patients in the age group of 21-30 years have tested positive for coronavirus (in Maharashtra) while 446 others are in the age group of 31 to 40 years. The number of patients who are in the age group of 41 years to 50 years is 432," a state health official said.
The senior IAS official said the only reason behind 1646 people below 50 years contracting the coronavirus infection is they fall under the active working class group.
"These are people who are either studying or travelling for some business reasons. Hence they were the ones who contracted the infection abroad," he said.
There were some deaths initially among the people who had some travel history, but most of the cases in the last one week (April 5 to 12) are of the people who are above 50 years and had no travel history in the recent past, the official explained.
He further said that the average COVID-19 mortality rate of Maharashtra was 7.34 per cent which is the fourth highest in the country after Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab.
"However, despite that the state is way ahead of others both in terms of the number of positive cases and fatalities due to the COVID-19 disease," he said.
Pointing out that 23 per cent of the total coronavirus positive cases in India are reported from Maharashtra alone, the official said it is mainly due to the very high movement of international flights from the Mumbai international airport.
"No airport in the country is as busy as Mumbai, hence it was natural to find more people contracting coronavirus infection in Maharashtra than anywhere else in the country," said another official.