Bluegrass Times

There were 22 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Kentucky during the week ending March 26, 2022, a 60.7% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending March 26, 2022, there were 474 deaths in the state. 23.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 25.1% were from cancer and 12% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.7% 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	Deaths in Week Ending March 26, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 19, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	119	124
Heart disease	113	138
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	35	75
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	27	29
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	22	56
Cerebrovascular diseases	15	32
Diabetes mellitus	12	15
Alzheimer's disease	10	23
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending March 26, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 19, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	46	68