Show-Me State Times

There were 33 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Missouri in the week ending July 23, making up 4.7% of total deaths by all causes in Missouri, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 23, there were 708 deaths in the state. 19.9% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 24.2% were from cancer and 10.3% were from COVID-19.

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	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	171	24.2
Heart disease	141	19.9
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	44	6.2
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	40	5.6
Cerebrovascular diseases	38	5.4
Alzheimer's disease	35	4.9
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	33	4.7
Diabetes mellitus	21	3
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	19	2.7
Influenza and pneumonia	13	1.8