Sunshine Sentinel

There were 43 deaths from influenza and pneumonia reported in Florida in the week ending July 1, making up one% of total deaths by all causes in Florida, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 1, there were 4,253 deaths in the state. 21.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.6% were from cancer and 2.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.1% 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
Heart disease	917	21.6
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	878	20.6
Cerebrovascular diseases	319	7.5
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	217	5.1
Diabetes mellitus	121	2.8
Alzheimer's disease	115	2.7
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	67	1.6
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	63	1.5
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	44	1
Influenza and pneumonia	43	1

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	346	8.1