Grand Canyon Times

There were 49 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Arizona during the week ending July 2, 2022, no changes from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 2, 2022, there were 1,104 deaths in the state. 19.7% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.5% were from cancer and 8% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.1% 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 July 2, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 25, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	226	206
Heart disease	217	219
Cerebrovascular diseases	50	50
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	49	49
Alzheimer's disease	46	43
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	46	50
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	39	33
Diabetes mellitus	32	44
Influenza and pneumonia	23	15
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	12	13

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 2, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 25, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	111	103