Grand Canyon Times

There were 19 deaths with influenza and pneumonia listed as the underlying cause reported in Arizona during the week ending Jan. 15, a 38.7 percent decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Jan. 15, there were 1,430 deaths in the state. 14.7 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 14.3 percent were from cancer and 50.6 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.1 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 2022-01-15	Number of Deaths 2022-01-08
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	373	388
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	350	364
Heart disease	210	294
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	204	238
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	61	83
Alzheimer's disease	55	57
Cerebrovascular diseases	46	57
Diabetes mellitus	36	59
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	21	27
Influenza and pneumonia	19	31

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2022-01-15	Number of Deaths 2022-01-08
Alzheimer disease and dementia	116	144