Keystone Today

There were 12 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Pennsylvania in the week ending July 15, making up 0.5% of total deaths by all causes in Pennsylvania, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 15, there were 2,458 deaths in the state. 21.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 23.1% were from cancer and 1.2% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.8% 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	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	567	23.1
Heart disease	525	21.4
Cerebrovascular diseases	114	4.6
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	101	4.1
Alzheimer's disease	66	2.7
Diabetes mellitus	60	2.4
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	50	2
Influenza and pneumonia	32	1.3
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	17	0.7
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	12	0.5

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	217	8.8