Yellowhammer Times

There were 13 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Alabama in the week ending Nov. 5, making up 1.2% of total deaths by all causes in Alabama, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Nov. 5, there were 1,117 deaths in the state. 24.9% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 15.8% were from cancer and 2.7% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.8% 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	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	278	24.9
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	177	15.8
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	71	6.4
Cerebrovascular diseases	69	6.2
Alzheimer's disease	40	3.6
Diabetes mellitus	31	2.8
Influenza and pneumonia	17	1.5
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	17	1.5
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	14	1.3
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	13	1.2

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	87	7.8