Maryland State Wire

There were less than 10 deaths from influenza and pneumonia reported in Maryland in the week ending Oct. 1, making up less than 1.4% of total deaths by all causes in Maryland, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Oct. 1, there were 700 deaths in the state. 22.9% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21% were from cancer and 7.1% 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
Heart disease	160	22.9
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	147	21
Cerebrovascular diseases	41	5.9
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	32	4.6
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	32	4.6
Diabetes mellitus	21	3
Alzheimer's disease	19	2.7
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	18	2.6
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	14	2
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 1.4