Yellowhammer Times

There were 37 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Alabama in the week ending Dec. 17, making up 4.2% of total deaths by all causes in Alabama, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Dec. 17, there were 891 deaths in the state. 28.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18% were from cancer and 6.8% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.2% 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	257	28.8
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	160	18
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	58	6.5
Cerebrovascular diseases	51	5.7
Alzheimer's disease	37	4.2
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	37	4.2
Influenza and pneumonia	25	2.8
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	24	2.7
Diabetes mellitus	23	2.6
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	17	1.9

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	82	9.2