Silver State Times

There were 143 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Nevada during the week ending August 7, a 10 percent increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending August 7, there were 628 deaths in the state. 20.2 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 13.9 percent were from cancer and 43.6 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 6.1 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 2021-08-07	Number of Deaths 2021-07-31
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	143	130
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	131	128
Heart disease	127	151
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	87	104
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	20	23
Diabetes mellitus	19	11
Cerebrovascular diseases	19	22
Alzheimer's disease	14	17
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-08-07	Number of Deaths 2021-07-31
Alzheimer disease and dementia	38	41