Silver State Times

There were 55 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Nevada during the week ending March 5, a 26.7% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending March 5, there were 422 deaths in the state. 24.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 12.3% were from cancer and 25.4% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 5.7% 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 March 5	Deaths in Week Ending Feb. 26
Heart disease	103	109
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	55	75
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	52	64
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	52	65
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	21	25
Cerebrovascular diseases	19	21
Alzheimer's disease	10	11
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	12

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending March 5	Deaths in Week Ending Feb. 26
Alzheimer disease and dementia	24	27