Old North News

There were 49 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in North Carolina during the week ending July 2, 2022, a 24.6% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 2, 2022, there were 1,740 deaths in the state. 19.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.3% were from cancer and 7.2% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.6% 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 July 2, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 25, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	354	398
Heart disease	344	391
Cerebrovascular diseases	93	102
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	92	103
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	76	85
Alzheimer's disease	73	66
Diabetes mellitus	68	69
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	49	65
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	31	39
Influenza and pneumonia	18	23

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 2, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 25, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	184	179