Grand Canyon Times

There were 11 deaths with influenza and pneumonia listed as the underlying cause reported in Arizona during the week ending September 11, a 38.9 percent decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending September 11, there were 1,591 deaths in the state. 15.4 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 15.1 percent were from cancer and 33.2 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.9 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	Number of Deaths 2021-09-11	Number of Deaths 2021-09-04
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	271	262
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	258	246
Heart disease	245	257
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	241	230
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	63	78
Alzheimer's disease	62	70
Cerebrovascular diseases	50	60
Diabetes mellitus	46	60
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	14	15
Influenza and pneumonia	11	18

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-09-11	Number of Deaths 2021-09-04
Alzheimer disease and dementia	142	133