Grand Canyon Times

There were 176 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Arizona in the week ending August 21, making up 11.8 percent of total deaths by all causes in Arizona, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending August 21, there were 1,488 deaths in the state. 16.5 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 16.7 percent were from cancer and 23.1 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.7 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
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	249	16.7
Heart disease	245	16.5
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	176	11.8
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	167	11.2
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	74	5
Cerebrovascular diseases	71	4.8
Alzheimer's disease	55	3.7
Diabetes mellitus	38	2.6
Influenza and pneumonia	19	1.3
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	16	1.1

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	114	7.7