Bluegrass Times

There were 34 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Kentucky during the week ending June 25, 2022, a 25.9% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 25, 2022, there were 742 deaths in the state. 22.9% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 24% were from cancer and 11.9% 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	Deaths in Week Ending June 25, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 18, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	178	163
Heart disease	170	189
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	54	43
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	50	54
Cerebrovascular diseases	42	34
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	34	27
Alzheimer's disease	25	31
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	21	20
Diabetes mellitus	19	30
Influenza and pneumonia	11	15

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending June 25, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 18, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	69	81