Pelican State News

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Louisiana in the week ending July 15, making up less than 1.4% of total deaths by all causes in Louisiana, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 15, there were 715 deaths in the state. 28.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 22.7% were from cancer and less than 1.4% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.2% 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	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	204	28.5
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	162	22.7
Cerebrovascular diseases	37	5.2
Diabetes mellitus	36	5
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	31	4.3
Alzheimer's disease	29	4.1
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	13	1.8
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 1.4
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 1.4
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	< 1.4

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	66	9.2