Grand Canyon Times

There were 41 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Arizona in the week ending July 10, making up 3.2 percent of total deaths by all causes in Arizona, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 10, there were 1,289 deaths in the state. 19.5 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.2 percent were from cancer and 5.9 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 6.8 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	251	19.5
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	248	19.2
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	61	4.7
Cerebrovascular diseases	49	3.8
Alzheimer's disease	43	3.3
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	41	3.2
Diabetes mellitus	36	2.8
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	35	2.7
Influenza and pneumonia	12	0.9
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 0.8

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	88	6.8