Bluegrass Times

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Kentucky in the week ending July 22, making up less than 1.2% of total deaths by all causes in Kentucky, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 22, there were 828 deaths in the state. 19.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 23.1% were from cancer and 1.4% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.5% 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)	191	23.1
Heart disease	162	19.6
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	50	6
Alzheimer's disease	28	3.4
Cerebrovascular diseases	26	3.1
Diabetes mellitus	24	2.9
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	23	2.8
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	12	1.4
Influenza and pneumonia	11	1.3
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 1.2

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	79	9.5