Hawkeye Reporter

There were 15 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Iowa during the week ending July 2, 2022, a 25% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 2, 2022, there were 497 deaths in the state. 26.2% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.3% were from cancer and 7.2% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 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	Deaths in Week Ending July 2, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 25, 2022
Heart disease	130	121
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	106	100
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	28	25
Cerebrovascular diseases	21	24
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	21	17
Diabetes mellitus	16	25
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	15	12
Alzheimer's disease	12	23
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 2, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 25, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	40	56