Yellowhammer Times

There were 40 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Alabama in the week ending July 17, making up 3.9 percent of total deaths by all causes in Alabama, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 17, there were 1,025 deaths in the state. 22.6 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 17.3 percent were from cancer and 8 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.8 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	232	22.6
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	177	17.3
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	62	6
Cerebrovascular diseases	53	5.2
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	42	4.1
Alzheimer's disease	40	3.9
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	40	3.9
Diabetes mellitus	28	2.7
Influenza and pneumonia	16	1.6
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	15	1.5

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	80	7.8