Palmetto State News

There were 14 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in South Carolina during the week ending April 2, 2022, a 41.7% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 2, 2022, there were 712 deaths in the state. 24.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 16.4% were from cancer and 2% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.8% 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 April 2, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 26, 2022
Heart disease	174	152
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	117	144
Cerebrovascular diseases	40	47
Alzheimer's disease	37	33
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	29	32
Diabetes mellitus	14	28
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	14	24
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	13	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	15

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 2, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 26, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	77	79