Evergreen Reporter

There were less than 10 deaths from influenza and pneumonia reported in the state of Washington in the week ending Oct. 15, making up less than 1.2% of total deaths by all causes in the state of Washington, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Oct. 15, there were 843 deaths in the state. 20.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 22.7% were from cancer and 4% were from COVID-19.

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
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	191	22.7
Heart disease	171	20.3
Alzheimer's disease	57	6.8
Cerebrovascular diseases	53	6.3
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	38	4.5
Diabetes mellitus	37	4.4
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	21	2.5
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	13	1.5
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 1.2
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 1.2