Grand Canyon Times

There were 54 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Arizona in the week ending May 8, 2021, making up 3.8% of total deaths by all causes in Arizona, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 8, 2021, there were 1,408 deaths in the state. 19.2% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.2% were from cancer and 8.2% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.6% 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	271	19.2
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	270	19.2
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	76	5.4
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	61	4.3
Cerebrovascular diseases	57	4
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	54	3.8
Alzheimer's disease	51	3.6
Diabetes mellitus	44	3.1
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	26	1.8
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 0.7

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	107	7.6