Yellowhammer Times

There were 33 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Alabama in the week ending January 1, making up 5.4 percent of total deaths by all causes in Alabama, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending January 1, there were 614 deaths in the state. 24.3 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 17.9 percent were from cancer and 12.2 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 6.7 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	149	24.3
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	110	17.9
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	51	8.3
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	42	6.8
Cerebrovascular diseases	38	6.2
Alzheimer's disease	36	5.9
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	33	5.4
Influenza and pneumonia	15	2.4
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	14	2.3
Diabetes mellitus	10	1.6

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	41	6.7