Yellowhammer Times

There were 16 deaths with influenza and pneumonia listed as the underlying cause reported in Alabama during the week ending May 29, 2021, a 5.9% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 29, 2021, there were 1,030 deaths in the state. 25% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.9% were from cancer and 5.4% 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	Deaths in Week Ending May 29, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 22, 2021
Heart disease	258	268
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	205	181
Alzheimer's disease	59	59
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	52	55
Cerebrovascular diseases	52	48
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	32	46
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	24	38
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	18	17
Diabetes mellitus	17	22
Influenza and pneumonia	16	17

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 29, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 22, 2021
Alzheimer disease and dementia	95	104