Yellowhammer Times

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Alabama during the week ending April 16, 2022, a decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 16, 2022, there were 692 deaths in the state. 26.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 16.5% were from cancer and less than 1.4% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.5% 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 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022
Heart disease	183	225
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	114	149
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	49	32
Cerebrovascular diseases	47	49
Alzheimer's disease	36	32
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	20	24
Diabetes mellitus	19	31
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	15
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	15
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	22

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	59	61