Yellowhammer Times

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Alabama in the week ending June 25, making up less than 1.9% of total deaths by all causes in Alabama, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 25, there were 533 deaths in the state. 26.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.7% were from cancer and 2.1% were from COVID-19.

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	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	141	26.5
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	105	19.7
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	31	5.8
Cerebrovascular diseases	30	5.6
Alzheimer's disease	29	5.4
Diabetes mellitus	15	2.8
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	11	2.1
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	11	2.1
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 1.9
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 1.9