Yellowhammer Times

There were 25 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Alabama in the week ending Dec. 24, making up three% of total deaths by all causes in Alabama, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Dec. 24, there were 836 deaths in the state. 26.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19% were from cancer and 5.1% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 14.6% 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	218	26.1
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	159	19
Cerebrovascular diseases	53	6.3
Alzheimer's disease	52	6.2
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	50	6
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	25	3
Diabetes mellitus	24	2.9
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	22	2.6
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	18	2.2
Influenza and pneumonia	16	1.9

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	122	14.6