Grand Canyon Times

There were 33 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Arizona during the week ending June 11, 2022, no changes from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 11, 2022, there were 1,083 deaths in the state. 22.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19% were from cancer and 5.3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 11.8% 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	Deaths in Week Ending June 11, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 4, 2022
Heart disease	239	236
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	206	231
Alzheimer's disease	64	52
Cerebrovascular diseases	53	55
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	49	57
Diabetes mellitus	33	31
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	33	33
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	24	25
Influenza and pneumonia	16	12
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	12	16

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending June 11, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 4, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	128	123