Show-Me State Times

There were 78 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Missouri during the week ending July 30, 2022, a 5.4% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 30, 2022, there were 1,122 deaths in the state. 23% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.6% were from cancer and 12.7% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.9% 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
Heart disease	258	262
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	231	260
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	78	74
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	64	54
Cerebrovascular diseases	53	57
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	50	62
Alzheimer's disease	46	50
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	28	28
Diabetes mellitus	27	32
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	19

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 30, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 23, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	111	108