Beaver State News

There were 13 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Oregon during the week ending Nov. 12, 2022, an increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Nov. 12, 2022, there were 801 deaths in the state. 16.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.7% were from cancer and 4.4% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 11.5% 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 Nov. 12, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Nov. 5, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	166	162
Heart disease	132	134
Cerebrovascular diseases	53	49
Alzheimer's disease	43	47
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	29	41
Diabetes mellitus	25	19
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	22	16
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	13	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Nov. 12, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Nov. 5, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	92	109