Palmetto State News

There were 49 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in South Carolina during the week ending Sept. 3, 2022, a 31% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Sept. 3, 2022, there were 1,018 deaths in the state. 17.7% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.4% were from cancer and 8.1% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 11.7% 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 Sept. 3, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 27, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	187	188
Heart disease	180	208
Cerebrovascular diseases	53	62
Alzheimer's disease	52	50
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	49	50
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	49	71
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	33	54
Diabetes mellitus	31	21
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	19	15
Influenza and pneumonia	12	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 3, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 27, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	119	120