Sunshine Sentinel

There were 44 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Florida in the week ending June 17, making up one% of total deaths by all causes in Florida, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 17, there were 4,343 deaths in the state. 21.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.4% were from cancer and 2.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.7% 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	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	928	21.4
Heart disease	926	21.3
Cerebrovascular diseases	336	7.7
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	223	5.1
Diabetes mellitus	148	3.4
Alzheimer's disease	115	2.6
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	71	1.6
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	59	1.4
Influenza and pneumonia	58	1.3
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	44	1

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	334	7.7