Enchantment State News

There were 11 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in New Mexico during the week ending Oct. 15, 2022, an increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Oct. 15, 2022, there were 360 deaths in the state. 15.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 15.3% were from cancer and 3.1% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.8% 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 Oct. 15, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 8, 2022
Heart disease	56	56
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	55	55
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	20	21
Alzheimer's disease	19	16
Cerebrovascular diseases	18	16
Diabetes mellitus	13	10
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	11	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 15, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 8, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	39	39