Golden State Today

There were 74 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in California during the week ending April 16, 2022, a 6.3% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 16, 2022, there were 3,561 deaths in the state. 20.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21% were from cancer and 3.3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.6% 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 April 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	747	734
Heart disease	734	855
Cerebrovascular diseases	244	240
Alzheimer's disease	235	266
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	140	169
Diabetes mellitus	137	168
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	74	79
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	67	67
Influenza and pneumonia	48	61
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	44	63

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	376	441