Minnesota State Wire

There were 54 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Minnesota in the week ending Dec. 10, 2022, making up 5.7% of total deaths by all causes in Minnesota, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Dec. 10, 2022, there were 955 deaths in the state. 19.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 22% were from cancer and 9.2% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 11.7% 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)	210	22
Heart disease	184	19.3
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	54	5.7
Alzheimer's disease	49	5.1
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	48	5
Cerebrovascular diseases	44	4.6
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	34	3.6
Diabetes mellitus	26	2.7
Influenza and pneumonia	25	2.6
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	16	1.7

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	112	11.7