Yellowhammer Times

There were 20 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Alabama in the week ending July 3, making up 1.9 percent of total deaths by all causes in Alabama, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 3, there were 1,036 deaths in the state. 23.6 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.5 percent were from cancer and 4 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.7 percent of deaths were from Alzheimer's disease and dementia.

Studies show doctors and medical examiners may underreport Alzheimer's disease and dementia-related conditions as the underlying cause of death on death certificates, according to the National Institute on Aging.

Once infected, older adults with dementia are likely to develop a more severe and dangerous illness. The diseases which make an older adult more vulnerable to COVID-19 are age-associated chronic conditions, according to the Bright Focus Foundation.

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	245	23.6
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	202	19.5
Cerebrovascular diseases	72	6.9
Alzheimer's disease	46	4.4
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	45	4.3
Diabetes mellitus	24	2.3
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	21	2
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	21	2
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	20	1.9
Influenza and pneumonia	13	1.3

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	80	7.7