Gem State Wire

There were 17 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Idaho during the week ending March 5, a 51.4% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending March 5, there were 248 deaths in the state. 21.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.5% were from cancer and 17.3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.5% 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 March 5	Deaths in Week Ending Feb. 26
Heart disease	54	42
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	46	52
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	26	44
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	17	35
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	16	17
Cerebrovascular diseases	16	18
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	< 10
Alzheimer's disease	< 10	15

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending March 5	Deaths in Week Ending Feb. 26
Alzheimer disease and dementia	21	33