Magnolia State News

There were 33 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Mississippi in the week ending July 17, making up 4.7 percent of total deaths by all causes in Mississippi, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 17, there were 695 deaths in the state. 22.7 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.7 percent were from cancer and 11.2 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 6.3 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	158	22.7
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	137	19.7
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	51	7.3
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	45	6.5
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	33	4.7
Cerebrovascular diseases	32	4.6
Alzheimer's disease	31	4.5
Diabetes mellitus	28	4
Influenza and pneumonia	18	2.6
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	17	2.4

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	44	6.3