Grand Canyon Times

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Arizona in the week ending July 29, making up less than 0.7% of total deaths by all causes in Arizona, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 29, there were 1,378 deaths in the state. 15.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.7% were from cancer and 0.9% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.1% 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
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	271	19.7
Heart disease	213	15.5
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	55	4
Alzheimer's disease	51	3.7
Cerebrovascular diseases	50	3.6
Diabetes mellitus	47	3.4
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	14	1
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	12	0.9
Influenza and pneumonia	11	0.8
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 0.7

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	139	10.1