BEIJING: A 72-year-old man, the first severe A/H1N1 influenza case in Beijing, died of chronic illnesses early Friday morning even after the flu was cured, local hospital said Saturday.

Xie Baoling was admitted to the Beijing Ditan Hospital on October 4 and was diagnosed as the first severe H1N1 flu case in Beijing, hospital head Mao Yu said.

The man also suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, respiratory failure, and severe hypertension.

The Chinese mainland reported 2,024 confirmed cases of the A/H1N1 flu in the 48 hours ending at 3 p.m. Friday, bringing the total number to 33,064, the Ministry of Health said Friday.

So far, 26,588 patients have recovered. Fourteen of the 44 patients in serious conditions have been cured, the ministry said.

China is currently experiencing what experts called "a second round of A/H1N1 flu infection," as recent infections are more widespread and increasing rapidly.

The disease has also caused two deaths in other parts of China -- an 18-year-old woman in Tibet who died on October 4, and a 43-year-old woman who died last Friday in the northwestern province of Qinghai.