Cornhusker State News

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Nebraska during the week ending May 8, 2021, a decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 8, 2021, there were 337 deaths in the state. 19.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 22% were from cancer and 4.7% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.5% 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 8, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 1, 2021
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	74	69
Heart disease	66	86
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	17	15
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	16	21
Alzheimer's disease	14	11
Diabetes mellitus	12	10
Cerebrovascular diseases	11	21
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	18

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 8, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 1, 2021
Alzheimer disease and dementia	32	32