Yellowhammer Times

There were 14 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Alabama in the week ending Nov. 12, making up 1.4% of total deaths by all causes in Alabama, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Nov. 12, there were 1,036 deaths in the state. 24.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 17.9% were from cancer and 3.1% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10% 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	254	24.5
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	185	17.9
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	61	5.9
Cerebrovascular diseases	48	4.6
Alzheimer's disease	44	4.2
Diabetes mellitus	26	2.5
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	25	2.4
Influenza and pneumonia	23	2.2
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	18	1.7
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	14	1.4

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	104	10