Grand Canyon Times

There were 44 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Arizona in the week ending May 22, making up 3.5 percent of total deaths by all causes in Arizona, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 22, there were 1,244 deaths in the state. 19 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.5 percent were from cancer and 7.7 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10 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
Heart disease	236	19
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	230	18.5
Cerebrovascular diseases	58	4.7
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	54	4.3
Alzheimer's disease	53	4.3
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	52	4.2
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	44	3.5
Diabetes mellitus	37	3
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	19	1.5
Influenza and pneumonia	18	1.4

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	124	10