Grand Canyon Times

There were 54 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Arizona during the week ending July 16, 2022, a 28.6% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 16, 2022, there were 1,373 deaths in the state. 19.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18% were from cancer and 6.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9% 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 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 9, 2022
Heart disease	268	238
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	247	257
Cerebrovascular diseases	66	53
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	57	51
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	54	42
Alzheimer's disease	48	44
Diabetes mellitus	42	38
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	37	35
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	11	13
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 9, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	123	106