Bluegrass Times

There were 41 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Kentucky in the week ending Dec. 10, 2022, making up 4.4% of total deaths by all causes in Kentucky, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Dec. 10, 2022, there were 933 deaths in the state. 20.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21% were from cancer and 11.4% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.3% 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
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	196	21
Heart disease	191	20.5
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	69	7.4
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	65	7
Influenza and pneumonia	51	5.5
Cerebrovascular diseases	41	4.4
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	41	4.4
Alzheimer's disease	35	3.8
Diabetes mellitus	25	2.7
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	17	1.8

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	96	10.3