Sooner State News

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Oklahoma in the week ending Nov. 12, making up less than 1.2% of total deaths by all causes in Oklahoma, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Nov. 12, there were 806 deaths in the state. 24.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 17% were from cancer and 2.2% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.8% 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
Heart disease	196	24.3
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	137	17
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	60	7.4
Cerebrovascular diseases	35	4.3
Diabetes mellitus	34	4.2
Alzheimer's disease	31	3.8
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	18	2.2
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 1.2
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 1.2
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 1.2

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	79	9.8