Magnolia State News

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Mississippi in the week ending June 17, making up less than 1.7% of total deaths by all causes in Mississippi, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 17, there were 605 deaths in the state. 24.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 23% were from cancer and less than 1.7% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.1% 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	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	148	24.5
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	139	23
Alzheimer's disease	33	5.5
Cerebrovascular diseases	32	5.3
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	30	5
Diabetes mellitus	15	2.5
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	14	2.3
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 1.7
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 1.7
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	< 1.7

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	49	8.1