Old Dominion News

There were 52 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Virginia during the week ending July 2, 2022, a 27.8% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 2, 2022, there were 1,253 deaths in the state. 20.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.9% were from cancer and 4.8% 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	Deaths in Week Ending July 2, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 25, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	274	292
Heart disease	257	279
Cerebrovascular diseases	64	88
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	52	72
Diabetes mellitus	45	46
Alzheimer's disease	40	49
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	36	60
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	30	37
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	24	47
Influenza and pneumonia	16	18

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 2, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 25, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	129	151