Bay State News

There were 29 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Massachusetts during the week ending July 23, 2022, a 9.4% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 23, 2022, there were 1,138 deaths in the state. 17.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.9% were from cancer and 6.1% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 13% 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 23, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 16, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	249	260
Heart disease	199	194
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	40	38
Cerebrovascular diseases	40	41
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	40	37
Alzheimer's disease	30	26
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	29	19
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	29	32
Diabetes mellitus	24	31
Influenza and pneumonia	12	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 23, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 16, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	148	111