Gem State Wire

There were 21 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Idaho during the week ending Aug. 13, 2022, a 16.7% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Aug. 13, 2022, there were 296 deaths in the state. 20.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.6% were from cancer and 10.5% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.1% 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 Aug. 13, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 6, 2022
Heart disease	60	60
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	55	61
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	21	18
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	20	< 10
Cerebrovascular diseases	18	18
Diabetes mellitus	14	< 10
Alzheimer's disease	10	12
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	10	14
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 13, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 6, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	24	26