Centennial State News

There were 20 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Colorado during the week ending July 16, 2022, a 11.1% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 16, 2022, there were 795 deaths in the state. 17.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.4% were from cancer and 7.3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.1% 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 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 9, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	146	176
Heart disease	136	143
Cerebrovascular diseases	42	45
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	38	32
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	35	39
Alzheimer's disease	25	26
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	20	18
Diabetes mellitus	18	18
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	13

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 9, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	80	82