Mountain State Times

There were 16 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in West Virginia in the week ending Nov. 12, making up 3.1% of total deaths by all causes in West Virginia, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Nov. 12, there were 523 deaths in the state. 20.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.5% were from cancer and 7.5% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.2% 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	107	20.5
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	97	18.5
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	26	5
Cerebrovascular diseases	23	4.4
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	23	4.4
Diabetes mellitus	17	3.3
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	16	3.1
Influenza and pneumonia	13	2.5
Alzheimer's disease	13	2.5
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	10	1.9

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	43	8.2