Minnesota State Wire

There were 44 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Minnesota in the week ending Feb. 26, making up 7.6 percent of total deaths by all causes in Minnesota, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Feb. 26, there were 582 deaths in the state. 17 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 23.2 percent were from cancer and 13.2 percent 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	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	135	23.2
Heart disease	99	17
Alzheimer's disease	48	8.2
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	44	7.6
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	33	5.7
Cerebrovascular diseases	29	5
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	26	4.5
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	10	1.7
Diabetes mellitus	10	1.7
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 1.7