Minnesota State Wire

There were 33 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Minnesota in the week ending July 9, making up 5.3% of total deaths by all causes in Minnesota, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 9, there were 621 deaths in the state. 21.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 26.6% were from cancer and 9% were from COVID-19.

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	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	165	26.6
Heart disease	131	21.1
Alzheimer's disease	37	6
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	33	5.3
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	31	5
Cerebrovascular diseases	25	4
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	23	3.7
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	11	1.8
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 1.6
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	< 1.6