Hawkeye Reporter

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Iowa in the week ending June 25, 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 25, there were 371 deaths in the state. 21.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.2% were from cancer and 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
Heart disease	81	21.8
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	75	20.2
Cerebrovascular diseases	21	5.7
Alzheimer's disease	19	5.1
Diabetes mellitus	17	4.6
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	16	4.3
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	10	2.7
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 2.7
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 2.7
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 2.7