Old Dominion News

There were 31 deaths from influenza and pneumonia reported in Virginia in the week ending Dec. 3, making up two% of total deaths by all causes in Virginia, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Dec. 3, there were 1,529 deaths in the state. 21.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.9% were from cancer and 4.1% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 11.8% 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	333	21.8
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	304	19.9
Cerebrovascular diseases	91	6
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	59	3.9
Alzheimer's disease	58	3.8
Diabetes mellitus	45	2.9
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	37	2.4
Influenza and pneumonia	31	2
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	26	1.7
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	26	1.7

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	181	11.8