Magnolia State News

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Mississippi in the week ending July 22, making up less than 1.8% of total deaths by all causes in Mississippi, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 22, there were 571 deaths in the state. 26.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.5% were from cancer and 1.8% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7% 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	149	26.1
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	117	20.5
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	36	6.3
Cerebrovascular diseases	30	5.3
Alzheimer's disease	23	4
Influenza and pneumonia	15	2.6
Diabetes mellitus	13	2.3
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	12	2.1
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	10	1.8
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 1.8

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	40	7