Hawkeye Reporter

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Iowa in the week ending Aug. 5, making up less than 2.1% of total deaths by all causes in Iowa, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Aug. 5, there were 468 deaths in the state. 23.9% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 22% were from cancer and less than 2.1% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.8% 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
Heart disease	112	23.9
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	103	22
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	34	7.3
Cerebrovascular diseases	25	5.3
Alzheimer's disease	21	4.5
Diabetes mellitus	13	2.8
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 2.1
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 2.1
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 2.1
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	< 2.1

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	46	9.8