A COVID-19 positive woman died at AIIMS in Rishikesh on Friday, the first death of an infected person in Uttarakhand.
While confirming that the woman had tested positive for coronavirus, the state health department maintained that it was not the cause of death. So far, 57 coronavirus cases have been detected in the hill state.
The 56-year-old woman from Nainital was admitted at AIIMS on April 22 after suffering a brain stroke and tested positive for COVID-19 on April 28, said Madhur Uniyal, nodal officer for coronavirus cases at the facility.
"The woman died of ventricular tachycardia secondary to ACS (acute coronary syndrome). In simple terms, it means sudden reduced blood flow to the heart," a state health department bulletin later said.
After suffering a stroke, the woman was admitted to a hospital in Nainital and later shifted to a hospital in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh. She was then referred to AIIMS, Rishikesh.
Earlier in the day, Uniyal had said that the woman died of multiple organ failure.
When asked whether the woman died of COVID-19, Uniyal did not give a direct reply saying she was also suffering from other diseases and several of her vital organs had stopped working before her death.