Ocean State Today

There were less than 10 deaths with influenza and pneumonia listed as the underlying cause reported in Rhode Island during the week ending Dec. 25, an increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Dec. 25, there were less than 10 deaths in the state.

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 2021-12-25	Number of Deaths 2021-12-18
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	0
Cerebrovascular diseases	< 10	0
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	< 10
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	< 10	< 10
Heart disease	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	0	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	0	< 10
Alzheimer's disease	0	0
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	0	0