Palmetto State News

There were 30 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in South Carolina in the week ending July 24, making up 2.8 percent of total deaths by all causes in South Carolina, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 24, there were 1,065 deaths in the state. 19.2 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.1 percent were from cancer and 5.8 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.1 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
Heart disease	205	19.2
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	203	19.1
Cerebrovascular diseases	57	5.4
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	52	4.9
Alzheimer's disease	43	4
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	32	3
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	30	2.8
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	24	2.3
Diabetes mellitus	17	1.6
Influenza and pneumonia	15	1.4

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	86	8.1