Beehive State News

There were less than 10 deaths with influenza and pneumonia listed as the underlying cause reported in Utah during the week ending July 9, 2022, an increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 9, 2022, there were 324 deaths in the state. 22.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 15.4% were from cancer and 8.3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 16% 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 9, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 2, 2022
Heart disease	73	90
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	50	71
Alzheimer's disease	20	21
Cerebrovascular diseases	18	20
Diabetes mellitus	16	15
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	16	14
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	11	10
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	10	17
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	0
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 9, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 2, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	52	42