Sooner State News

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Oklahoma in the week ending June 17, making up less than 1.3% of total deaths by all causes in Oklahoma, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 17, there were 751 deaths in the state. 29.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.6% were from cancer and less than 1.3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 6.9% 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	221	29.4
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	140	18.6
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	60	8
Cerebrovascular diseases	25	3.3
Alzheimer's disease	24	3.2
Diabetes mellitus	19	2.5
Influenza and pneumonia	11	1.5
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 1.3
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 1.3
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	< 1.3

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	52	6.9