Golden State Today

There were 302 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in California during the week ending July 16, 2022, no changes from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 16, 2022, there were 5,176 deaths in the state. 20.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.5% were from cancer and 9.9% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10% 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 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 9, 2022
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	302	302
Cerebrovascular diseases	294	324
Alzheimer's disease	279	298
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	210	211
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	186	186
Diabetes mellitus	185	206
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	75	90
Influenza and pneumonia	65	75
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	1,112	1,123
Heart disease	1,063	1,121

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 9, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	517	528