Beaver State News

There were 12 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Oregon in the week ending June 17, making up 1.5% of total deaths by all causes in Oregon, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 17, there were 777 deaths in the state. 17.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 22% were from cancer and 3.9% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10% 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)	171	22
Heart disease	138	17.8
Cerebrovascular diseases	39	5
Alzheimer's disease	38	4.9
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	32	4.1
Diabetes mellitus	23	3
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	18	2.3
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	12	1.5
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 1.3
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 1.3

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	78	10