Yellowhammer Times

There were 18 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Alabama during the week ending Nov. 12, 2022, a 5.9% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Nov. 12, 2022, there were 1,036 deaths in the state. 24.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 17.9% were from cancer and 3.1% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10% 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 Nov. 12, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Nov. 5, 2022
Heart disease	254	278
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	185	177
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	61	71
Cerebrovascular diseases	48	69
Alzheimer's disease	44	40
Diabetes mellitus	26	31
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	25	14
Influenza and pneumonia	23	17
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	18	17
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	14	13

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Nov. 12, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Nov. 5, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	104	87