Sunshine Sentinel

There were 2,605 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Florida in the week ending August 21, making up 36.4 percent of total deaths by all causes in Florida, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending August 21, there were 7,150 deaths in the state. 13.8 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 12.2 percent were from cancer and 70.8 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 5.5 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
Heart disease	989	13.8
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	874	12.2
Cerebrovascular diseases	332	4.6
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	265	3.7
Diabetes mellitus	218	3
Alzheimer's disease	147	2.1
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	73	1
Influenza and pneumonia	65	0.9
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	2,457	34.4
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	2,605	36.4

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	393	5.5