Beehive State News

There were 12 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Utah during the week ending Nov. 12, 2022, a 20% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Nov. 12, 2022, 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	Deaths in Week Ending Nov. 12, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Nov. 5, 2022
Heart disease	78	91
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	57	57
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	21	< 10
Alzheimer's disease	19	18
Diabetes mellitus	17	10
Cerebrovascular diseases	16	20
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	12	10
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 Nov. 12, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Nov. 5, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	58	44