Grand Canyon Times

There were 21 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Arizona in the week ending Nov. 12, making up 1.6% of total deaths by all causes in Arizona, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Nov. 12, there were 1,330 deaths in the state. 20.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.1% were from cancer and 4.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.5% 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	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	272	20.5
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	267	20.1
Cerebrovascular diseases	70	5.3
Alzheimer's disease	63	4.7
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	62	4.7
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	40	3
Diabetes mellitus	38	2.9
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	21	1.6
Influenza and pneumonia	15	1.1
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	14	1.1

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	139	10.5