Sunshine Sentinel

There were 41 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Florida during the week ending April 16, 2022, a 21.2% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 16, 2022, there were 2,981 deaths in the state. 20.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 22.1% were from cancer and 3.5% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.9% 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	Deaths in Week Ending April 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	658	645
Heart disease	619	681
Cerebrovascular diseases	227	245
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	154	156
Diabetes mellitus	98	101
Alzheimer's disease	76	85
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	63	84
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	43	40
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	41	52
Influenza and pneumonia	34	36

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	264	273