Mountain State Times

There were 16 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in West Virginia in the week ending Dec. 17, making up 3.4% of total deaths by all causes in West Virginia, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Dec. 17, there were 477 deaths in the state. 18.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 17.8% were from cancer and 7.8% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.9% 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	88	18.4
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	85	17.8
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	29	6.1
Cerebrovascular diseases	23	4.8
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	21	4.4
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	18	3.8
Diabetes mellitus	16	3.4
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	16	3.4
Influenza and pneumonia	15	3.1
Alzheimer's disease	14	2.9

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	47	9.9