Bluegrass Times

There were 15 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Kentucky in the week ending June 17, making up 1.6% of total deaths by all causes in Kentucky, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 17, there were 967 deaths in the state. 21.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.5% were from cancer and 1.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.7% 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
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	208	21.5
Heart disease	206	21.3
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	62	6.4
Cerebrovascular diseases	45	4.7
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	33	3.4
Diabetes mellitus	27	2.8
Alzheimer's disease	23	2.4
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	15	1.6
Influenza and pneumonia	12	1.2
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 1

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	74	7.7