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 29, 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 July 29, there were 603 deaths in the state. 22.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.4% were from cancer and 1.8% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10% 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	136	22.6
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	117	19.4
Cerebrovascular diseases	39	6.5
Alzheimer's disease	37	6.1
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	37	6.1
Diabetes mellitus	18	3
Influenza and pneumonia	12	2
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	11	1.8
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	10	1.7
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 1.7

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	60	10