Bluegrass Times

There were 41 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Kentucky during the week ending July 9, 2022, a 10.9% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 9, 2022, there were 686 deaths in the state. 24.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 24.3% were from cancer and 9.5% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 13.6% 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 July 9, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 2, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	167	158
Heart disease	165	182
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	49	44
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	41	46
Alzheimer's disease	24	24
Cerebrovascular diseases	24	30
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	24	32
Diabetes mellitus	20	26
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	15	16
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	12

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 9, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 2, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	93	84