Grand Canyon Times

There were 27 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Arizona during the week ending Oct. 15, 2022, a 8% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Oct. 15, 2022, there were 1,244 deaths in the state. 21.2% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.4% were from cancer and 3.9% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.3% 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 Oct. 15, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 8, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	266	264
Heart disease	264	254
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	63	53
Cerebrovascular diseases	55	64
Alzheimer's disease	45	57
Diabetes mellitus	36	39
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	27	25
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	21	17
Influenza and pneumonia	12	13
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	12

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 15, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 8, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	103	130