Grand Canyon Times

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Arizona in the week ending Aug. 5, making up less than 0.9% of total deaths by all causes in Arizona, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Aug. 5, there were 1,164 deaths in the state. 17.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.1% were from cancer and 0.9% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.8% 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)	246	21.1
Heart disease	204	17.5
Cerebrovascular diseases	55	4.7
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	52	4.5
Diabetes mellitus	40	3.4
Alzheimer's disease	39	3.4
Influenza and pneumonia	14	1.2
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	14	1.2
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	10	0.9
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 0.9

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	91	7.8