Grand Canyon Times

There were 129 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Arizona in the week ending Dec. 10, 2022, making up 8.7% of total deaths by all causes in Arizona, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Dec. 10, 2022, there were 1,475 deaths in the state. 18% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18% were from cancer and 15.2% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.3% 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)	265	18
Heart disease	265	18
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	129	8.7
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	95	6.4
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	83	5.6
Cerebrovascular diseases	71	4.8
Alzheimer's disease	65	4.4
Diabetes mellitus	41	2.8
Influenza and pneumonia	24	1.6
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	23	1.6

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	152	10.3