Maryland State Wire

There were 26 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Maryland in the week ending June 19, 2021, making up 2.7% of total deaths by all causes in Maryland, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 19, 2021, there were 948 deaths in the state. 20.7% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.3% were from cancer and 4.5% 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)	202	21.3
Heart disease	196	20.7
Cerebrovascular diseases	57	6
Diabetes mellitus	35	3.7
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	31	3.3
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	26	2.7
Alzheimer's disease	24	2.5
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	17	1.8
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	12	1.3
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 1.1

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