Magnolia State News

There were 16 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Mississippi during the week ending June 18, 2022, a 23.1% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 18, 2022, there were 477 deaths in the state. 25.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.1% were from cancer and 5.7% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.5% 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	Deaths in Week Ending June 18, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 11, 2022
Heart disease	123	135
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	96	114
Cerebrovascular diseases	30	34
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	29	32
Alzheimer's disease	26	34
Diabetes mellitus	20	17
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	16	13
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	11	14
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	11	10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	15

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending June 18, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 11, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	50	43