Beaver State News

There were 47 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Oregon in the week ending May 22, making up 5.9 percent of total deaths by all causes in Oregon, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 22, there were 797 deaths in the state. 17.3 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.8 percent were from cancer and 13 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 11.5 percent 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	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	150	18.8
Heart disease	138	17.3
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	57	7.2
Cerebrovascular diseases	47	5.9
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	47	5.9
Alzheimer's disease	46	5.8
Diabetes mellitus	27	3.4
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	25	3.1
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	16	2
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 1.3

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	92	11.5