Golden State Today

There were 200 deaths from chronic lower respiratory diseases reported in California in the week ending August 21, making up 3.2 percent of total deaths by all causes in California, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending August 21, there were 6,216 deaths in the state. 18.7 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.5 percent were from cancer and 25.3 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.7 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
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	816	13.1
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	755	12.1
Cerebrovascular diseases	331	5.3
Alzheimer's disease	319	5.1
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	200	3.2
Diabetes mellitus	187	3
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	98	1.6
Influenza and pneumonia	86	1.4
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	1,150	18.5
Heart disease	1,160	18.7

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	540	8.7