Magnolia State News

There were 16 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Mississippi in the week ending June 12, making up 2.3 percent of total deaths by all causes in Mississippi, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 12, there were 688 deaths in the state. 22.7 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.2 percent were from cancer and 5.7 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8 percent 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	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	156	22.7
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	125	18.2
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	48	7
Cerebrovascular diseases	38	5.5
Diabetes mellitus	35	5.1
Alzheimer's disease	33	4.8
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	23	3.3
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	16	2.3
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	11	1.6
Influenza and pneumonia	10	1.5

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	55	8