Nearly 350 COVID-19 patients in Assam died due to comorbidities: Minister

Guwahati, August 14 (PTI): Around 500 COVID-19 patients have died in Assam, including 300-350 due to comorbidities, Health and Family Welfare Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Friday.

Deaths caused by other ailments are not included in the list of COVID-19 fatalities as per central government guidelines, he said.

"There is another long list of 300-350 COVID-19 patients, who have died due to cancer, kidney failure, heart disease or other comorbidities," Sarma told a gathering here at a plasma donation camp organised by the BJP.

Assam has so far reported a total of 71,795 COVID-19 cases, of which 22,240 are active and 49,383 have recovered.

Last month, Sarma had announced the formation of a death audit board to certify the underlying cause of deaths of all COVID-19 patients in the state.