Maryland State Wire

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Maryland in the week ending July 1, making up less than 1.1% of total deaths by all causes in Maryland, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 1, there were 947 deaths in the state. 21.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.8% were from cancer and less than 1.1% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.8% 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	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	206	21.8
Heart disease	200	21.1
Cerebrovascular diseases	61	6.4
Diabetes mellitus	32	3.4
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	24	2.5
Alzheimer's disease	15	1.6
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 1.1
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 1.1
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 1.1
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	< 1.1

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	74	7.8