First State Times

There were 13 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Delaware during the week ending June 17, an increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 17, there were 180 deaths in the state. 20% of deaths were caused by heart disease and 18.9% were from cancer Additionally, 9.4% 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 June 17	Deaths in Week Ending June 10
Heart disease	36	51
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	34	34
Cerebrovascular diseases	23	18
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	13	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	< 10
Alzheimer's disease	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	0	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending June 17	Deaths in Week Ending June 10
Alzheimer disease and dementia	17	14