Yellowhammer Times

There were 22 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Alabama during the week ending Oct. 8, 2022, a 24.1% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Oct. 8, 2022, there were 1,099 deaths in the state. 25.7% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 16.8% were from cancer and 3.3% 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 Oct. 8, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 1, 2022
Heart disease	282	253
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	185	214
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	71	49
Cerebrovascular diseases	62	85
Alzheimer's disease	57	35
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	32	21
Diabetes mellitus	25	22
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	22	29
Influenza and pneumonia	16	19
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	14	24

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 8, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 1, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	101	81