Golden State Today

There were 146 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in California during the week ending May 22, 2021, a 4.6% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 22, 2021, there were 5,161 deaths in the state. 19.9% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.7% were from cancer and 5.1% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.7% 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 May 22, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 15, 2021
Cerebrovascular diseases	350	314
Alzheimer's disease	276	285
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	202	190
Diabetes mellitus	161	223
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	146	153
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	115	121
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	73	90
Influenza and pneumonia	57	76
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	1,120	1,095
Heart disease	1,025	1,045

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 22, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 15, 2021
Alzheimer disease and dementia	451	443