Minnesota State Wire

There were 34 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Minnesota during the week ending Feb. 26, a 52.8 percent decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Feb. 26, there were 600 deaths in the state. 17.2 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 23 percent were from cancer and 13.2 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 15.8 percent 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 2022-02-26	Number of Deaths 2022-02-19
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	138	141
Heart disease	103	124
Alzheimer's disease	48	49
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	45	105
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	34	72
Cerebrovascular diseases	30	44
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	26	40
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	10	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	10	16
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2022-02-26	Number of Deaths 2022-02-19
Alzheimer disease and dementia	95	104