Bhopal, The number of coronavirus cases in Madhya Pradesh rose to 470 with 44 more testing positive on Friday.

Bhopal's tally went up to 119 with 21 new cases while 14 new cases were reported in Indore as its tally went up to 249.

With another doctor succumbing to the virus in Indore the death toll touched 37. Indore alone has accounted for 27 deaths, health officials said.

"A 65-year-old ayurvedic practitioner became the second doctor to die in Indore due to coronavirus infection in two days. He was posted as a district Ayush officer and retired from service about over 40 days earlier. He died in a private hospital," chief medical and health officer (CMHO), Dr Praveen Jadia, said.

He had probably come in touch with some COVID-19 patients in his private clinic. The authorities are now trying to identify them.

"After tracing such persons, they would be sent for quarantine and their health would be monitored," said Dr Jadia.

Dr Shatrughan Panjwani had died in Indore on Thursday.

Five persons have died in Ujjain, two in Khargone, one each in Bhopal, Chhindwara and Dewas.

Three others, aged 52, 65 and 70, respectively, who had died in the last two days, were confirmed to have been corona infected in Friday's reports.

With a case coming to light in Sagar district for the first time, the virus has now spread in 20 districts of the state.

Apart from Indore and Bhopal, Ujjain reported 16 cases while Morena, Khargone, Barwani district reported 14 cases each. Nine cases were reported from Jabalpur and Gwalior, Hoshangabad reported six each, while five were tested positive in Khandwa, four in Vidisha, three in Dewas, two each in Chhindwara and Shivpuri and one each in Betul, Sheopur, Shajapur, Raisen, Dhar and Sagar. One patient hails from another state.

So far, 37 persons have been discharged from hospitals after they recovered from COVID-19, the officials said.

Among 390 active cases, the condition of 370 patients was stable, while eight were said to be in a serious condition.