Beaver State News

There were 13 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Oregon during the week ending April 16, 2022, a 30% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 16, 2022, there were 372 deaths in the state. 18.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.7% were from cancer and 3.5% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 11.8% 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	Deaths in Week Ending April 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	77	85
Heart disease	69	88
Cerebrovascular diseases	24	34
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	17	23
Alzheimer's disease	14	25
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	13	10
Diabetes mellitus	12	25
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	44	45