Bluegrass Times

There were less than 10 deaths from influenza and pneumonia reported in Kentucky in the week ending Sept. 17, making up less than 2.2% of total deaths by all causes in Kentucky, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Sept. 17, there were 460 deaths in the state. 20% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 27% were from cancer and 16.5% were from COVID-19.

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	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	124	27
Heart disease	92	20
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	49	10.7
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	33	7.2
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	27	5.9
Cerebrovascular diseases	25	5.4
Diabetes mellitus	12	2.6
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	11	2.4
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 2.2
Alzheimer's disease	< 10	< 2.2