Yellowhammer Times

There were 16 deaths with influenza and pneumonia listed as the underlying cause reported in Alabama during the week ending Feb. 12, a 23.1 percent increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Feb. 12, there were 1,084 deaths in the state. 20.8 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 12.2 percent were from cancer and 45.8 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.5 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	Number of Deaths 2022-02-12	Number of Deaths 2022-02-05
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	259	322
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	237	295
Heart disease	225	279
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	132	181
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	54	62
Cerebrovascular diseases	47	48
Alzheimer's disease	46	67
Diabetes mellitus	34	38
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	19	21
Influenza and pneumonia	16	13

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2022-02-12	Number of Deaths 2022-02-05
Alzheimer disease and dementia	92	128