Show-Me State Times

There were 224 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Missouri during the week ending Jan. 1, a 2.6 percent decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Jan. 1, there were 1,167 deaths in the state. 20.1 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 17.9 percent were from cancer and 39.7 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.1 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 2022-01-01	Number of Deaths 2021-12-25
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	239	245
Heart disease	234	255
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	224	230
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	209	236
Cerebrovascular diseases	54	64
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	53	70
Alzheimer's disease	46	47
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	33	26
Influenza and pneumonia	25	26
Diabetes mellitus	24	27

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2022-01-01	Number of Deaths 2021-12-25
Alzheimer disease and dementia	94	116