Pine State News

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Maine in the week ending July 9, making up less than 3.7% of total deaths by all causes in Maine, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 9, there were 272 deaths in the state. 23.2% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.2% were from cancer and 3.7% 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
Heart disease	63	23.2
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	55	20.2
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	17	6.3
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	10	3.7
Cerebrovascular diseases	10	3.7
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	10	3.7
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 3.7
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	< 3.7
Alzheimer's disease	< 10	< 3.7
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 3.7