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 15, 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 15, there were 919 deaths in the state. 21.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.7% were from cancer and less than 1.1% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.4% 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)	199	21.7
Heart disease	194	21.1
Cerebrovascular diseases	64	7
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	39	4.2
Diabetes mellitus	35	3.8
Alzheimer's disease	17	1.8
Influenza and pneumonia	12	1.3
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	12	1.3
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	86	9.4