Bluegrass Times

There were 38 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Kentucky in the week ending Nov. 12, making up 3.6% of total deaths by all causes in Kentucky, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Nov. 12, there were 1,044 deaths in the state. 20.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.8% were from cancer and 9.9% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.7% 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	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	214	20.5
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	196	18.8
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	68	6.5
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	65	6.2
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	38	3.6
Diabetes mellitus	37	3.5
Cerebrovascular diseases	37	3.5
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	32	3.1
Alzheimer's disease	31	3
Influenza and pneumonia	27	2.6

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	91	8.7