Maryland State Wire

There were 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Maryland in the week ending July 8, making up 1.1% of total deaths by all causes in Maryland, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 8, there were 915 deaths in the state. 19.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.6% were from cancer and 2.3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.5% 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)	179	19.6
Heart disease	179	19.6
Cerebrovascular diseases	59	6.4
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	32	3.5
Diabetes mellitus	28	3.1
Alzheimer's disease	20	2.2
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	12	1.3
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	11	1.2
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	10	1.1
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 1.1

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	87	9.5