Silver State Times

There were 20 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Nevada in the week ending Dec. 24, making up 4.2% of total deaths by all causes in Nevada, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Dec. 24, there were 479 deaths in the state. 20.7% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.1% were from cancer and 9% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.8% 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
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	101	21.1
Heart disease	99	20.7
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	28	5.8
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	23	4.8
Cerebrovascular diseases	21	4.4
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	20	4.2
Diabetes mellitus	19	4
Influenza and pneumonia	16	3.3
Alzheimer's disease	14	2.9
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 2.1

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	47	9.8