Old Dominion News

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Virginia in the week ending July 8, making up less than 0.7% of total deaths by all causes in Virginia, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 8, there were 1,444 deaths in the state. 20.9% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 22.1% were from cancer and less than 0.7% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.3% 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)	319	22.1
Heart disease	302	20.9
Cerebrovascular diseases	80	5.5
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	68	4.7
Alzheimer's disease	49	3.4
Diabetes mellitus	40	2.8
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	36	2.5
Influenza and pneumonia	12	0.8
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 0.7
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	< 0.7

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	149	10.3