Hawkeye Reporter

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Iowa in the week ending June 18, making up less than 2.7% of total deaths by all causes in Iowa, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 18, there were 370 deaths in the state. 23.2% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 23.5% were from cancer and less than 2.7% 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
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	87	23.5
Heart disease	86	23.2
Cerebrovascular diseases	21	5.7
Alzheimer's disease	17	4.6
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	17	4.6
Diabetes mellitus	11	3
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 2.7
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 2.7
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 2.7
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	< 2.7