Beehive State News

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Utah in the week ending Nov. 12, making up less than 2.5% of total deaths by all causes in Utah, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Nov. 12, there were 400 deaths in the state. 19.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 14.2% were from cancer and 3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 14.5% 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	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	78	19.5
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	57	14.2
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	21	5.3
Alzheimer's disease	19	4.8
Diabetes mellitus	17	4.3
Cerebrovascular diseases	16	4
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	12	3
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 2.5
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 2.5
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 2.5

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	58	14.5