Mountain State Times

There were 18 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in West Virginia in the week ending July 31, making up 69.2 percent of total deaths by all causes in West Virginia, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 31, there were 26 deaths in the state. Less than 38.5 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease and 138.5 percent 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	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	18	69.2
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	18	69.2
Cerebrovascular diseases	< 10	< 38.5
Heart disease	< 10	< 38.5
Influenza and pneumonia	0	0
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	0	0
Diabetes mellitus	0	0
Alzheimer's disease	0	0
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	0	0
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	0	0