Old North News

There were 60 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in North Carolina during the week ending June 4, 2022, a 1.6% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 4, 2022, there were 1,611 deaths in the state. 22.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.4% were from cancer and 6.4% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.2% 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 June 4, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending May 28, 2022
Heart disease	361	334
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	344	348
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	84	60
Cerebrovascular diseases	84	125
Alzheimer's disease	71	70
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	60	61
Diabetes mellitus	43	55
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	43	39
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	39	38
Influenza and pneumonia	19	13

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending June 4, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending May 28, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	164	173