Big Sky Times

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Montana during the week ending March 5, a decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending March 5, there were 141 deaths in the state. 20.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 22.7% were from cancer and 7.8% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 12.1% 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 March 5	Deaths in Week Ending Feb. 26
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	32	33
Heart disease	29	33
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	11	30
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	< 10
Alzheimer's disease	< 10	< 10
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	< 10	< 10
Cerebrovascular diseases	< 10	10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	23

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending March 5	Deaths in Week Ending Feb. 26
Alzheimer disease and dementia	17	21