Old North News

There were 35 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in North Carolina during the week ending Dec. 25, a 31.4 percent decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Dec. 25, there were 553 deaths in the state. 14.5 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.8 percent were from cancer and 11.8 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 13.4 percent 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 2021-12-25	Number of Deaths 2021-12-18
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	104	142
Heart disease	80	118
Cerebrovascular diseases	37	40
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	35	51
Alzheimer's disease	34	31
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	30	42
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	26	29
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	11	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-12-25	Number of Deaths 2021-12-18
Alzheimer disease and dementia	74	69