Yellowhammer Times

There were 17 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Alabama during the week ending June 4, 2022, a 70% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 4, 2022, there were 848 deaths in the state. 23.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.4% were from cancer and 3.2% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.3% 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 June 4, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending May 28, 2022
Heart disease	198	267
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	156	185
Alzheimer's disease	58	42
Cerebrovascular diseases	53	53
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	48	42
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	23	23
Diabetes mellitus	23	19
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	17	10
Influenza and pneumonia	13	14
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending June 4, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending May 28, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	87	88