Hawkeye Reporter

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Iowa in the week ending July 1, making up less than 1.8% of total deaths by all causes in Iowa, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 1, there were 564 deaths in the state. 21.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.9% were from cancer and less than 1.8% 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
Heart disease	119	21.1
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	118	20.9
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	32	5.7
Cerebrovascular diseases	28	5
Diabetes mellitus	18	3.2
Alzheimer's disease	16	2.8
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 1.8
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 1.8
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 1.8
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	< 1.8

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	53	9.4