Grand Canyon Times

There were 25 deaths from influenza and pneumonia reported in Arizona in the week ending Dec. 24, making up two% of total deaths by all causes in Arizona, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Dec. 24, there were 1,227 deaths in the state. 20.9% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 16.8% were from cancer and 12% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 11.1% 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	257	20.9
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	206	16.8
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	86	7
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	71	5.8
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	61	5
Alzheimer's disease	51	4.2
Cerebrovascular diseases	48	3.9
Influenza and pneumonia	25	2
Diabetes mellitus	25	2
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	22	1.8

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	136	11.1