Keystone Today

There were 25 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Pennsylvania during the week ending June 17, a 32.4% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 17, there were 2,484 deaths in the state. 20.9% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 22% were from cancer and 1.5% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9% 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	Deaths in Week Ending June 17	Deaths in Week Ending June 10
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	547	571
Heart disease	518	560
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	109	95
Cerebrovascular diseases	108	105
Alzheimer's disease	70	70
Diabetes mellitus	68	72
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	53	51
Influenza and pneumonia	27	27
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	25	37
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	12	20

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending June 17	Deaths in Week Ending June 10
Alzheimer disease and dementia	223	226