Keystone Today

There were 84 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Pennsylvania in the week ending August 14, making up 3.2 percent of total deaths by all causes in Pennsylvania, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending August 14, there were 2,623 deaths in the state. 22.6 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.2 percent were from cancer and 6.1 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.7 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	594	22.6
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	555	21.2
Cerebrovascular diseases	106	4
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	102	3.9
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	84	3.2
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	77	2.9
Alzheimer's disease	71	2.7
Diabetes mellitus	68	2.6
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	56	2.1
Influenza and pneumonia	41	1.6

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	229	8.7