Golden State Today

There were 76 deaths from influenza and pneumonia reported in California in the week ending July 24, making up 1.4 percent of total deaths by all causes in California, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 24, there were 5,363 deaths in the state. 19.5 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.8 percent were from cancer and 7 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.8 percent 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	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Cerebrovascular diseases	337	6.3
Alzheimer's disease	293	5.5
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	205	3.8
Diabetes mellitus	195	3.6
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	189	3.5
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	172	3.2
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	77	1.4
Influenza and pneumonia	76	1.4
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	1,168	21.8
Heart disease	1,046	19.5

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	473	8.8