Minnesota State Wire

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Minnesota in the week ending Aug. 5, making up less than 1.2% of total deaths by all causes in Minnesota, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Aug. 5, there were 810 deaths in the state. 19% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 23% were from cancer and less than 1.2% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 12.5% 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)	186	23
Heart disease	154	19
Alzheimer's disease	53	6.5
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	35	4.3
Cerebrovascular diseases	35	4.3
Diabetes mellitus	28	3.5
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 1.2
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 1.2
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 1.2
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	< 1.2

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	101	12.5