Beehive State News

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Utah in the week ending Aug. 5, 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 Aug. 5, there were 393 deaths in the state. 18.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 17.6% were from cancer and less than 2.5% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 11.2% 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	74	18.8
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	69	17.6
Cerebrovascular diseases	20	5.1
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	16	4.1
Alzheimer's disease	13	3.3
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 2.5
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 2.5
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	< 2.5
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 2.5
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	< 2.5

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	44	11.2