Yellowhammer Times

There were 15 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Alabama during the week ending April 2, 2022, a 53.1% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 2, 2022, there were 681 deaths in the state. 25.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 15.6% were from cancer and 5.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.6% 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	Deaths in Week Ending April 2, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 26, 2022
Heart disease	171	214
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	106	117
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	45	52
Cerebrovascular diseases	42	36
Alzheimer's disease	25	34
Diabetes mellitus	23	21
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	23	43
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	18	17
Influenza and pneumonia	16	12
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	15	32

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 2, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 26, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	52	67