Maryland State Wire

There were less than 10 deaths from influenza and pneumonia reported in Maryland in the week ending July 16, making up less than 1.5% of total deaths by all causes in Maryland, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 16, there were 678 deaths in the state. 23.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 26% were from cancer and 7.4% were from COVID-19.

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	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	176	26
Heart disease	158	23.3
Cerebrovascular diseases	50	7.4
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	32	4.7
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	29	4.3
Diabetes mellitus	18	2.7
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	18	2.7
Alzheimer's disease	17	2.5
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	11	1.6
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 1.5