Cornhusker State News

There were 21 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Nebraska during the week ending May 1, 2021, a 31.3% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 1, 2021, there were 362 deaths in the state. 23.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.1% were from cancer and 10.8% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.8% 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	Deaths in Week Ending May 1, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending April 24, 2021
Heart disease	85	71
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	69	68
Cerebrovascular diseases	21	20
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	21	16
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	18	< 10
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	14	13
Alzheimer's disease	11	17
Diabetes mellitus	10	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 1, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending April 24, 2021
Alzheimer disease and dementia	32	38