Natural State News

There were 14 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Arkansas during the week ending July 2, 2022, a 17.6% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 2, 2022, there were 564 deaths in the state. 21.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 22.5% were from cancer and 2.5% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.2% 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 July 2, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 25, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	127	128
Heart disease	120	163
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	38	47
Cerebrovascular diseases	33	26
Alzheimer's disease	27	32
Diabetes mellitus	22	27
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	17	22
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	14	17
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	12
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 2, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 25, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	52	56