Old Dominion News

There were 143 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Virginia in the week ending August 21, making up nine percent of total deaths by all causes in Virginia, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending August 21, there were 1,595 deaths in the state. 18.9 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.7 percent were from cancer and 17.2 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.7 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
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	314	19.7
Heart disease	301	18.9
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	143	9
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	131	8.2
Cerebrovascular diseases	78	4.9
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	65	4.1
Diabetes mellitus	50	3.1
Alzheimer's disease	48	3
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	32	2
Influenza and pneumonia	17	1.1

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	170	10.7