Prairie State Wire

There were 24 deaths from influenza and pneumonia reported in Illinois in the week ending December 25, making up 1.2 percent of total deaths by all causes in Illinois, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending December 25, there were 2,027 deaths in the state. 17.5 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 16.7 percent were from cancer and 37.3 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.5 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	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	387	19.1
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	370	18.3
Heart disease	355	17.5
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	339	16.7
Cerebrovascular diseases	100	4.9
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	78	3.8
Alzheimer's disease	77	3.8
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	43	2.1
Diabetes mellitus	41	2
Influenza and pneumonia	24	1.2

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	153	7.5