Volunteer State News

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Tennessee in the week ending July 29, making up less than 0.7% of total deaths by all causes in Tennessee, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 29, there were 1,427 deaths in the state. 18.7% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.5% were from cancer and 1% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10% 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	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	292	20.5
Heart disease	267	18.7
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	75	5.3
Cerebrovascular diseases	72	5
Alzheimer's disease	63	4.4
Diabetes mellitus	46	3.2
Influenza and pneumonia	28	2
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	21	1.5
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	14	1
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 0.7

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	142	10