Centennial State News

There were 140 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Colorado during the week ending October 16, a 5.4 percent decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending October 16, there were 1,021 deaths in the state. 14.4 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 14.6 percent were from cancer and 28.4 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.6 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 2021-10-16	Number of Deaths 2021-10-09
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	150	169
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	149	139
Heart disease	147	155
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	140	148
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	47	48
Cerebrovascular diseases	42	36
Alzheimer's disease	29	32
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	20	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	17	15
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-10-16	Number of Deaths 2021-10-09
Alzheimer disease and dementia	78	81