Yellowhammer Times

There were 19 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Alabama during the week ending April 9, 2022, a 26.9% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 9, 2022, there were 743 deaths in the state. 27.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.2% were from cancer and 4.4% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.4% 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 9, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 2, 2022
Heart disease	203	191
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	135	119
Cerebrovascular diseases	45	49
Diabetes mellitus	29	24
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	29	51
Alzheimer's disease	27	25
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	22	19
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	19	26
Influenza and pneumonia	14	17
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	14	18

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 2, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	55	53