Enchantment State News

There were 76 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in New Mexico during the week ending Dec. 18, a 44.1 percent decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Dec. 18, there were 322 deaths in the state. 9.9 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 17.4 percent were from cancer and 49.4 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.2 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	Number of Deaths 2021-12-18	Number of Deaths 2021-12-11
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	83	145
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	76	136
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	56	73
Heart disease	32	73
Cerebrovascular diseases	17	16
Alzheimer's disease	12	< 10
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	11	15
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-12-18	Number of Deaths 2021-12-11
Alzheimer disease and dementia	33	24