Sunshine Sentinel

There were 2,005 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Florida in the week ending August 14, making up 30.3 percent of total deaths by all causes in Florida, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending August 14, there were 6,624 deaths in the state. 15.3 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 14.4 percent were from cancer and 62.5 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 5.4 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)	957	14.4
Cerebrovascular diseases	281	4.2
Diabetes mellitus	201	3
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	200	3
Alzheimer's disease	128	1.9
Influenza and pneumonia	64	1
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	63	1
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	2,005	30.3
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	2,138	32.3
Heart disease	1,015	15.3

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	355	5.4