Show-Me State Times

There were 217 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Missouri during the week ending Dec. 25, a 5.2 percent decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Dec. 25, there were 1,139 deaths in the state. 18.6 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.6 percent were from cancer and 36.9 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.5 percent 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	Number of Deaths 2021-12-25	Number of Deaths 2021-12-18
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	217	229
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	212	239
Heart disease	212	273
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	203	214
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	62	70
Cerebrovascular diseases	50	64
Alzheimer's disease	40	58
Influenza and pneumonia	24	25
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	20	22
Diabetes mellitus	18	26

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-12-25	Number of Deaths 2021-12-18
Alzheimer disease and dementia	97	122