Old Dominion News

There were 15 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Virginia during the week ending April 23, 2022, a 15.4% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 23, 2022, there were 798 deaths in the state. 18.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 22.8% were from cancer and 4.3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 12.2% 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 April 23, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 16, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	182	205
Heart disease	148	201
Alzheimer's disease	36	27
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	35	47
Cerebrovascular diseases	29	45
Diabetes mellitus	24	41
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	19	16
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	19	22
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	15	13
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 23, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 16, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	97	103