Pine State News

There were 18 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Maine during the week ending Nov. 12, 2022, a 28.6% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Nov. 12, 2022, there were 325 deaths in the state. 17.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 22.8% were from cancer and 5.5% 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. 12, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Nov. 5, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	74	81
Heart disease	58	46
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	23	15
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	18	14
Cerebrovascular diseases	15	11
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	17
Alzheimer's disease	< 10	14
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	13
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	0	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Nov. 12, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Nov. 5, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	34	36