Green Mountain Times

There were 25 deaths with heart disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Vermont during the week ending March 5, a 3.8% decrease from 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