Peace Garden News

There were 11 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in North Dakota in the week ending January 1, making up 16.7 percent of total deaths by all causes in North Dakota, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending January 1, there were 66 deaths in the state. 28.8 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, less than 15.2 percent were from cancer and 33.3 percent 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	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	19	28.8
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	11	16.7
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	11	16.7
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 15.2
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 15.2
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	< 15.2
Alzheimer's disease	< 10	< 15.2
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	< 10	< 15.2
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	< 10	< 15.2
Cerebrovascular diseases	0	0