Magnolia State News

There were 178 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Mississippi in the week ending August 7, making up 21.4 percent of total deaths by all causes in Mississippi, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending August 7, there were 830 deaths in the state. 16 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 14.3 percent were from cancer and 41.2 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 6.9 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
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	178	21.4
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	164	19.8
Heart disease	133	16
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	119	14.3
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	43	5.2
Cerebrovascular diseases	39	4.7
Diabetes mellitus	34	4.1
Alzheimer's disease	31	3.7
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	17	2
Influenza and pneumonia	13	1.6

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	57	6.9