Yellowhammer Times

There were 337 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Alabama in the week ending August 14, making up 23.9 percent of total deaths by all causes in Alabama, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending August 14, there were 1,411 deaths in the state. 19.8 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 15.5 percent were from cancer and 46.6 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 6.3 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
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	337	23.9
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	321	22.7
Heart disease	279	19.8
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	218	15.5
Cerebrovascular diseases	70	5
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	62	4.4
Alzheimer's disease	50	3.5
Diabetes mellitus	35	2.5
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	19	1.3
Influenza and pneumonia	11	0.8

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	89	6.3