Bluegrass Times

There were 36 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Kentucky in the week ending Dec. 3, making up 3.5% of total deaths by all causes in Kentucky, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Dec. 3, there were 1,034 deaths in the state. 22.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.1% were from cancer and 9.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.3% 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	228	22.1
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	208	20.1
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	76	7.4
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	63	6.1
Influenza and pneumonia	41	4
Diabetes mellitus	41	4
Cerebrovascular diseases	38	3.7
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	36	3.5
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	30	2.9
Alzheimer's disease	30	2.9

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	96	9.3