Gem State Wire

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Idaho in the week ending Oct. 29, making up less than 4% of total deaths by all causes in Idaho, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Oct. 29, there were 253 deaths in the state. 24.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.3% were from cancer and less than 4% were from COVID-19.

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	61	24.1
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	54	21.3
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	21	8.3
Alzheimer's disease	17	6.7
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 4
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 4
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	< 4
Cerebrovascular diseases	< 10	< 4
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 4
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	< 4