Sooner State News

There were 236 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Oklahoma in the week ending August 21, making up 21.6 percent of total deaths by all causes in Oklahoma, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending August 21, there were 1,093 deaths in the state. 19.2 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 14.8 percent were from cancer and 45.1 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 6.1 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
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	257	23.5
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	236	21.6
Heart disease	210	19.2
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	162	14.8
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	57	5.2
Alzheimer's disease	30	2.7
Diabetes mellitus	29	2.7
Cerebrovascular diseases	29	2.7
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	14	1.3
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 0.9

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	67	6.1