Minnesota State Wire

There were 43 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Minnesota in the week ending Nov. 12, making up 4.3% of total deaths by all causes in Minnesota, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Nov. 12, there were 992 deaths in the state. 17.9% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 23.1% were from cancer and 10.8% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 12.4% 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
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	229	23.1
Heart disease	178	17.9
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	64	6.5
Alzheimer's disease	46	4.6
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	43	4.3
Cerebrovascular diseases	40	4
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	39	3.9
Diabetes mellitus	24	2.4
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	10	1
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 1

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	123	12.4