Magnolia State News

There were 22 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Mississippi during the week ending March 26, 2022, a 8.3% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending March 26, 2022, there were 423 deaths in the state. 24.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.8% were from cancer and 7.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.4% 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	Deaths in Week Ending March 26, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 19, 2022
Heart disease	104	147
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	88	94
Alzheimer's disease	31	22
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	30	37
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	22	24
Cerebrovascular diseases	20	30
Diabetes mellitus	16	14
Influenza and pneumonia	12	11
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	10	14
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending March 26, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 19, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	44	42