Keystone Today

There were 109 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Pennsylvania in the week ending Dec. 24, making up 4.3% of total deaths by all causes in Pennsylvania, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Dec. 24, there were 2,516 deaths in the state. 22.7% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.2% were from cancer and 7.2% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 11.4% 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	571	22.7
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	484	19.2
Cerebrovascular diseases	120	4.8
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	116	4.6
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	109	4.3
Alzheimer's disease	75	3
Diabetes mellitus	73	2.9
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	71	2.8
Influenza and pneumonia	64	2.5
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	48	1.9

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	288	11.4