Old Dominion News

There were 48 deaths from chronic lower respiratory diseases reported in Virginia in the week ending July 24, making up 3.5 percent of total deaths by all causes in Virginia, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 24, there were 1,374 deaths in the state. 19.7 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.5 percent were from cancer and 2.1 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 11.1 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
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	295	21.5
Heart disease	270	19.7
Cerebrovascular diseases	69	5
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	48	3.5
Alzheimer's disease	41	3
Diabetes mellitus	34	2.5
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	27	2
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	16	1.2
Influenza and pneumonia	15	1.1
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	13	0.9

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	153	11.1