Sunshine Sentinel

There were 1,373 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Florida in the week ending August 7, making up 23 percent of total deaths by all causes in Florida, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending August 7, there were 5,968 deaths in the state. 17.9 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 14.3 percent were from cancer and 48 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 6.8 percent 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	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	854	14.3
Cerebrovascular diseases	303	5.1
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	256	4.3
Diabetes mellitus	176	2.9
Alzheimer's disease	145	2.4
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	67	1.1
Influenza and pneumonia	57	1
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	1,373	23
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	1,491	25
Heart disease	1,070	17.9

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	407	6.8