Grand Canyon Times

There were 24 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Arizona during the week ending Sept. 17, 2022, a 26.3% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Sept. 17, 2022, there were 1,208 deaths in the state. 20% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.4% were from cancer and 5.1% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.2% 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 Sept. 17, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 10, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	259	223
Heart disease	242	249
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	59	69
Cerebrovascular diseases	48	63
Alzheimer's disease	47	52
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	38	30
Diabetes mellitus	33	39
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	24	19
Influenza and pneumonia	19	13
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	17

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 17, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 10, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	111	118