First State Times

There were less than 10 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Delaware during the week ending November 20, a decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending November 20, there were 180 deaths in the state. 16.7 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 17.8 percent were from cancer and 20.6 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 12.2 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	Number of Deaths 2021-11-20	Number of Deaths 2021-11-13
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	32	47
Heart disease	30	31
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	20	17
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	17	12
Cerebrovascular diseases	14	18
Alzheimer's disease	10	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	0
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	< 10
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	< 10	15

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-11-20	Number of Deaths 2021-11-13
Alzheimer disease and dementia	22	22