Sooner State News

There were 18 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Oklahoma during the week ending July 2, 2022, a 63.6% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 2, 2022, there were 677 deaths in the state. 25.7% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 24.5% were from cancer and 6.1% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8% 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 2, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 25, 2022
Heart disease	174	183
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	166	131
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	39	58
Cerebrovascular diseases	27	20
Diabetes mellitus	24	23
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	23	22
Alzheimer's disease	22	29
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	18	11
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 2, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 25, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	54	58