Keystone Today

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Pennsylvania in the week ending July 22, making up less than 0.4% of total deaths by all causes in Pennsylvania, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 22, there were 2,363 deaths in the state. 21% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.3% were from cancer and 0.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.4% 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)	504	21.3
Heart disease	497	21
Cerebrovascular diseases	104	4.4
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	95	4
Diabetes mellitus	72	3
Alzheimer's disease	65	2.8
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	59	2.5
Influenza and pneumonia	20	0.8
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	15	0.6
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 0.4

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	222	9.4