Show-Me State Times

There were 32 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Missouri during the week ending Nov. 5, 2022, a 39.1% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Nov. 5, 2022, there were 1,279 deaths in the state. 21.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 22.7% were from cancer and 6.5% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.5% 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 Nov. 5, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 29, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	290	277
Heart disease	273	272
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	79	53
Alzheimer's disease	56	42
Cerebrovascular diseases	55	58
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	51	35
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	42	26
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	32	23
Diabetes mellitus	30	40
Influenza and pneumonia	18	15

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Nov. 5, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 29, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	134	112