Beaver State News

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Oregon in the week ending July 15, making up less than 1.3% of total deaths by all causes in Oregon, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 15, there were 799 deaths in the state. 19.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.9% were from cancer and less than 1.3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 12.6% 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)	159	19.9
Heart disease	153	19.1
Alzheimer's disease	46	5.8
Cerebrovascular diseases	41	5.1
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	32	4
Diabetes mellitus	29	3.6
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	10	1.3
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 1.3
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 1.3
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	< 1.3

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	101	12.6