Hawkeye Reporter

There were 17 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Iowa during the week ending Nov. 12, 2022, a 22.7% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Nov. 12, 2022, there were 558 deaths in the state. 26.7% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 16.1% were from cancer and 3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 11.8% 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 Nov. 12, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Nov. 5, 2022
Heart disease	149	131
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	90	117
Cerebrovascular diseases	33	26
Alzheimer's disease	30	25
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	28	29
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	17	22
Diabetes mellitus	11	14
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	14

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Nov. 12, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Nov. 5, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	66	58