Big Sky Times

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Montana during the week ending March 19, 2022, a decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending March 19, 2022, there were 117 deaths in the state. 21.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.8% were from cancer and less than 8.5% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.3% 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 19, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 12, 2022
Heart disease	25	31
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	22	32
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	10
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	11
Influenza and pneumonia	0	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending March 19, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 12, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	12	15