Bluegrass Times

There were 135 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Kentucky in the week ending August 14, making up 12.7 percent of total deaths by all causes in Kentucky, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending August 14, there were 1,065 deaths in the state. 18.5 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.4 percent were from cancer and 26.6 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 6.5 percent 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	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	197	18.5
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	196	18.4
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	148	13.9
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	135	12.7
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	53	5
Cerebrovascular diseases	44	4.1
Diabetes mellitus	32	3
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	23	2.2
Alzheimer's disease	18	1.7
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 0.9

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	69	6.5