Magnolia State News

There were 15 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Mississippi during the week ending June 24, an increase over the previous week, 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	Deaths in Week Ending June 24	Deaths in Week Ending June 17
Heart disease	142	148
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	110	139
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	43	30
Cerebrovascular diseases	34	32
Alzheimer's disease	33	33
Diabetes mellitus	28	15
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	15	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	12	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	11	14
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending June 24	Deaths in Week Ending June 17
Alzheimer disease and dementia	58	49