Silver State Times

There were 82 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Nevada during the week ending Dec. 25, a 13.9 percent increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Dec. 25, there were 442 deaths in the state. 17.2 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 15.2 percent were from cancer and 36.7 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 6.6 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
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	82	72
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	80	71
Heart disease	76	124
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	67	80
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	23	21
Cerebrovascular diseases	22	25
Alzheimer's disease	11	21
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	11

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-12-25	Number of Deaths 2021-12-18
Alzheimer disease and dementia	29	42