Silver State Times

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Nevada in the week ending Aug. 13, making up less than 3.1% of total deaths by all causes in Nevada, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Aug. 13, there were 318 deaths in the state. 19.2% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 23.9% were from cancer and 3.5% were from COVID-19.

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	% of Total Deaths
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	76	23.9
Heart disease	61	19.2
Alzheimer's disease	15	4.7
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	12	3.8
Cerebrovascular diseases	12	3.8
Diabetes mellitus	11	3.5
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	11	3.5
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 3.1
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 3.1
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	0	0