Green Mountain Times

There were less than 10 deaths with nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis listed as the underlying cause reported in Vermont during the week ending March 5, an increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending March 5, there were 91 deaths in the state. 27.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 22% were from cancer and less than 11% were from COVID-19.

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
Heart disease	25	26
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	20	27
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	0
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	< 10