Sooner State News

There were 172 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Oklahoma in the week ending August 14, making up 17.4 percent of total deaths by all causes in Oklahoma, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending August 14, there were 986 deaths in the state. 22 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.4 percent were from cancer and 36.4 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 4.8 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	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	217	22
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	187	19
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	181	18.4
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	172	17.4
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	51	5.2
Cerebrovascular diseases	34	3.4
Diabetes mellitus	26	2.6
Alzheimer's disease	26	2.6
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 1
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 1

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	47	4.8