Beehive State News

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Utah in the week ending July 22, making up less than 2.4% of total deaths by all causes in Utah, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 22, there were 420 deaths in the state. 18.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19% were from cancer and less than 2.4% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 11.2% 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
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	80	19
Heart disease	78	18.6
Alzheimer's disease	21	5
Diabetes mellitus	17	4
Cerebrovascular diseases	16	3.8
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	13	3.1
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	11	2.6
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 2.4
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 2.4
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	< 2.4

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	47	11.2