Evergreen Reporter

There were less than 10 deaths with influenza and pneumonia listed as the underlying cause reported in the state of Washington during the week ending July 30, 2022, a decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 30, 2022, there were 1,295 deaths in the state. 19.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.8% were from cancer and 8.3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.8% 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 30, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 23, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	257	240
Heart disease	252	228
Cerebrovascular diseases	75	64
Alzheimer's disease	71	56
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	66	81
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	48	48
Diabetes mellitus	43	37
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	41	44
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	14
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	21

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 30, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 23, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	127	114