Yellowhammer Times

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Alabama in the week ending July 15, 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 15, there were 997 deaths in the state. 23.9% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.7% were from cancer and less than 1% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 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	238	23.9
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	186	18.7
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	71	7.1
Cerebrovascular diseases	52	5.2
Alzheimer's disease	37	3.7
Diabetes mellitus	24	2.4
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	15	1.5
Influenza and pneumonia	11	1.1
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 1
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	< 1

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	80	8