Keystone Today

There were 38 deaths from influenza and pneumonia reported in Pennsylvania in the week ending July 24, making up 1.6 percent of total deaths by all causes in Pennsylvania, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 24, there were 2,447 deaths in the state. 22.2 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.5 percent were from cancer and 2.2 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.8 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
Heart disease	544	22.2
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	478	19.5
Cerebrovascular diseases	130	5.3
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	93	3.8
Diabetes mellitus	69	2.8
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	54	2.2
Alzheimer's disease	54	2.2
Influenza and pneumonia	38	1.6
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	31	1.3
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	24	1

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	190	7.8