Grand Canyon Times

There were 278 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Arizona in the week ending December 25, making up 23.9 percent of total deaths by all causes in Arizona, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending December 25, there were 1,162 deaths in the state. 17.7 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 12.8 percent were from cancer and 49.6 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.4 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
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	298	25.6
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	278	23.9
Heart disease	206	17.7
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	149	12.8
Alzheimer's disease	60	5.2
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	59	5.1
Cerebrovascular diseases	38	3.3
Influenza and pneumonia	28	2.4
Diabetes mellitus	23	2
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	13	1.1

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	109	9.4