Volunteer State News

There were 131 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Tennessee in the week ending January 1, making up 13 percent of total deaths by all causes in Tennessee, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending January 1, there were 1,006 deaths in the state. 20.6 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 12.5 percent were from cancer and 27.3 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 6.2 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	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	207	20.6
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	144	14.3
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	131	13
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	126	12.5
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	59	5.9
Cerebrovascular diseases	47	4.7
Diabetes mellitus	34	3.4
Alzheimer's disease	26	2.6
Influenza and pneumonia	25	2.5
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	13	1.3

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	62	6.2