Grand Canyon Times

There were 32 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Arizona during the week ending June 4, 2022, a 39.1% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 4, 2022, there were 944 deaths in the state. 22.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.4% were from cancer and 6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 11.7% 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	Deaths in Week Ending June 4, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending May 28, 2022
Heart disease	209	217
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	202	212
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	50	56
Cerebrovascular diseases	47	37
Alzheimer's disease	46	44
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	32	23
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	25	12
Diabetes mellitus	24	34
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	13	13
Influenza and pneumonia	10	14

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending June 4, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending May 28, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	110	99