Sunshine Sentinel

There were 47 deaths from influenza and pneumonia reported in Florida in the week ending January 1, making up 1.6 percent of total deaths by all causes in Florida, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending January 1, there were 2,862 deaths in the state. 20.8 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 22 percent were from cancer and 10.3 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.4 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)	631	22
Heart disease	594	20.8
Cerebrovascular diseases	188	6.6
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	159	5.6
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	143	5
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	137	4.8
Diabetes mellitus	81	2.8
Alzheimer's disease	70	2.4
Influenza and pneumonia	47	1.6
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	34	1.2

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	239	8.4