Silver State Times

There were 17 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Nevada in the week ending Nov. 5, making up 2.9% of total deaths by all causes in Nevada, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Nov. 5, there were 577 deaths in the state. 22.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.6% were from cancer and 6.9% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8% 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	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	130	22.5
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	113	19.6
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	40	6.9
Cerebrovascular diseases	28	4.9
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	23	4
Diabetes mellitus	19	3.3
Influenza and pneumonia	18	3.1
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	17	2.9
Alzheimer's disease	16	2.8
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 1.7

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	46	8