Gem State Wire

There were 129 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Idaho during the week ending October 30, a 15.2 percent increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending October 30, there were 435 deaths in the state. 16.8 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 10.3 percent were from cancer and 60.7 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.7 percent 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 2021-10-30	Number of Deaths 2021-10-23
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	135	126
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	129	112
Heart disease	73	75
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	45	71
Alzheimer's disease	21	14
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	18	22
Cerebrovascular diseases	18	13
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	14

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-10-30	Number of Deaths 2021-10-23
Alzheimer disease and dementia	38	29