Enchantment State News

There were 29 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in New Mexico during the week ending March 5, a 40.8% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending March 5, there were 279 deaths in the state. 18.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.3% were from cancer and 19.7% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 6.8% 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 March 5	Deaths in Week Ending Feb. 26
Heart disease	52	55
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	51	54
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	29	49
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	26	39
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	15	16
Cerebrovascular diseases	11	14
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	11
Alzheimer's disease	< 10	12

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending March 5	Deaths in Week Ending Feb. 26
Alzheimer disease and dementia	19	31