Grand Canyon Times

There were 16 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Arizona in the week ending June 17, making up 1.3% of total deaths by all causes in Arizona, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 17, there were 1,230 deaths in the state. 21.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.7% were from cancer and 3.2% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.4% 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	268	21.8
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	254	20.7
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	56	4.6
Cerebrovascular diseases	51	4.1
Alzheimer's disease	46	3.7
Diabetes mellitus	28	2.3
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	23	1.9
Influenza and pneumonia	17	1.4
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	16	1.3
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	15	1.2

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	128	10.4