Keystone Today

There were 500 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Pennsylvania in the week ending January 1, making up 28 percent of total deaths by all causes in Pennsylvania, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending January 1, there were 1,784 deaths in the state. 17.1 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 13.6 percent were from cancer and 54.4 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 6.9 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
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	500	28
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	470	26.3
Heart disease	305	17.1
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	242	13.6
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	63	3.5
Cerebrovascular diseases	57	3.2
Diabetes mellitus	43	2.4
Alzheimer's disease	34	1.9
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	33	1.8
Influenza and pneumonia	20	1.1

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	123	6.9