Silver State Times

There were 29 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Nevada in the week ending Dec. 17, making up 5.3% of total deaths by all causes in Nevada, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Dec. 17, there were 546 deaths in the state. 21.2% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 17.4% were from cancer and 9.3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.9% 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	116	21.2
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	95	17.4
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	36	6.6
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	29	5.3
Diabetes mellitus	27	4.9
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	22	4
Cerebrovascular diseases	19	3.5
Alzheimer's disease	15	2.7
Influenza and pneumonia	14	2.6
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 1.8

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	43	7.9