Palmetto State News

There were 15 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in South Carolina in the week ending July 17, making up 1.5 percent of total deaths by all causes in South Carolina, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 17, there were 1,019 deaths in the state. 20 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.3 percent were from cancer and 3.4 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.2 percent 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	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	217	21.3
Heart disease	204	20
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	58	5.7
Cerebrovascular diseases	58	5.7
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	32	3.1
Alzheimer's disease	32	3.1
Diabetes mellitus	20	2
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	20	2
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	15	1.5
Influenza and pneumonia	13	1.3

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	84	8.2