Minnesota State Wire

There were 49 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Minnesota in the week ending Dec. 3, making up five% of total deaths by all causes in Minnesota, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Dec. 3, there were 974 deaths in the state. 18.2% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.3% were from cancer and 7.8% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 15.1% 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)	198	20.3
Heart disease	177	18.2
Alzheimer's disease	68	7
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	49	5
Cerebrovascular diseases	42	4.3
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	40	4.1
Diabetes mellitus	34	3.5
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	27	2.8
Influenza and pneumonia	23	2.4
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	10	1

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	147	15.1