Maryland State Wire

There were 23 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Maryland in the week ending June 26, making up 2.5 percent of total deaths by all causes in Maryland, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 26, there were 915 deaths in the state. 20.3 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.9 percent were from cancer and 4.3 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.7 percent 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	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	186	20.3
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	182	19.9
Cerebrovascular diseases	59	6.4
Diabetes mellitus	45	4.9
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	34	3.7
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	23	2.5
Alzheimer's disease	20	2.2
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	17	1.9
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	16	1.7
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 1.1

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	80	8.7