Old Dominion News

There were 97 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Virginia in the week ending December 25, making up 11.5 percent of total deaths by all causes in Virginia, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending December 25, there were 845 deaths in the state. 19.5 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.2 percent were from cancer and 22.1 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 11.6 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	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	171	20.2
Heart disease	165	19.5
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	97	11.5
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	90	10.7
Cerebrovascular diseases	45	5.3
Alzheimer's disease	31	3.7
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	31	3.7
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	19	2.2
Diabetes mellitus	18	2.1
Influenza and pneumonia	11	1.3

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	98	11.6