Magnolia State News

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Mississippi in the week ending June 24, making up less than 1.6% of total deaths by all causes in Mississippi, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 24, there were 611 deaths in the state. 23.2% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18% were from cancer and 2.5% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.5% 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	142	23.2
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	110	18
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	43	7
Cerebrovascular diseases	34	5.6
Alzheimer's disease	33	5.4
Diabetes mellitus	28	4.6
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	15	2.5
Influenza and pneumonia	12	2
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	11	1.8
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 1.6

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	58	9.5