Keystone Today

There were 26 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Pennsylvania in the week ending July 17, making up 1.1 percent of total deaths by all causes in Pennsylvania, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 17, there were 2,379 deaths in the state. 21.3 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 22.8 percent were from cancer and 2.7 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.9 percent 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	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	542	22.8
Heart disease	507	21.3
Cerebrovascular diseases	123	5.2
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	79	3.3
Diabetes mellitus	72	3
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	59	2.5
Alzheimer's disease	57	2.4
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	39	1.6
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	26	1.1
Influenza and pneumonia	18	0.8

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	187	7.9