Yellowhammer Times

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Alabama in the week ending July 1, making up less than 1% of total deaths by all causes in Alabama, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 1, there were 1,000 deaths in the state. 21.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.1% were from cancer and 1.5% 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	214	21.4
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	191	19.1
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	58	5.8
Cerebrovascular diseases	51	5.1
Alzheimer's disease	44	4.4
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	29	2.9
Diabetes mellitus	22	2.2
Influenza and pneumonia	15	1.5
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	15	1.5
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 1

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	92	9.2