Palmetto State News

There were 43 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in South Carolina during the week ending Oct. 1, 2022, a 2.4% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Oct. 1, 2022, there were 1,114 deaths in the state. 19.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.7% were from cancer and 6.2% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.6% 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 Oct. 1, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 24, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	220	201
Heart disease	218	215
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	60	58
Cerebrovascular diseases	57	54
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	43	42
Alzheimer's disease	34	45
Diabetes mellitus	29	33
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	26	18
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	16	19
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	11

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 1, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 24, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	118	108