Last Frontier News

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Alaska in the week ending Dec. 24, making up less than 22.2% of total deaths by all causes in Alaska, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Dec. 24, there were 45 deaths in the state. 28.9% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 22.2% were from cancer and less than 22.2% were from COVID-19.

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	13	28.9
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	10	22.2
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 22.2
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	< 22.2
Alzheimer's disease	< 10	< 22.2
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	< 10	< 22.2
Cerebrovascular diseases	< 10	< 22.2
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 22.2
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	< 22.2
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	0	0