Pelican State News

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Louisiana in the week ending June 17, making up less than 1.2% of total deaths by all causes in Louisiana, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 17, there were 803 deaths in the state. 26.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.8% were from cancer and less than 1.2% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.6% 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	211	26.3
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	175	21.8
Cerebrovascular diseases	40	5
Alzheimer's disease	37	4.6
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	32	4
Diabetes mellitus	31	3.9
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	19	2.4
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 1.2
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 1.2
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	< 1.2

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	77	9.6