First State Times

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Delaware in the week ending Oct. 22, making up less than 8.4% of total deaths by all causes in Delaware, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Oct. 22, there were 119 deaths in the state. 22.7% of deaths were caused by heart disease and 20.2% were from cancer

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	27	22.7
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	24	20.2
Cerebrovascular diseases	13	10.9
Alzheimer's disease	12	10.1
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	< 8.4
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	< 10	< 8.4
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	< 8.4
Influenza and pneumonia	0	0
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	0	0
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	0	0